Ending therapy in an appropriate and meaningful way is especially important in work with children and adolescents, yet the topic is often overlooked in clinical training. From leading child clinicians, this much-needed book examines the termination process--both for brief and longer-term encounters--and offers practical guidance illustrated with vivid case material. Tools are provided for helping children and families understand termination and work through associated feelings of loss and grief. Challenges in creating positive endings to therapy with children who have experienced trauma and adversity are given particular attention. Several reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed from the companion website in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. The companion website also features nine full-color figures. Critical Acclaim: "Wow! This book will grab you! Gil and Crenshaw teach by openly sharing their experiences of emotionally impactful terminations, and in the process you will gain insights into your own clinical work. The authors offer an 'up close and personal' look at children's pain, and their own. This is unique reading, a powerful book that sets a new standard. Clinicians will want to return to this book again and again as they struggle with termination issues."--Garry L. Landreth, EdD, Regents Professor Emeritus, Department of Counseling, University of North Texas "Research on the centrality of relationships in human development is often overlooked in child psychotherapy, in favor of emphasizing discrete techniques. Those who read this timely work will gain a deeper understanding of the value of the therapeutic relationship for child clients and the need to create successful terminations. With thoughtfulness and clinical wisdom, Gil and Crenshaw show us how to integrate the crucial work of termination into treatment."--Daniel Hughes, PhD, private practice, Annville, Pennsylvania "Termination in child psychotherapy--particularly in relation to the use of expressive techniques--has received scant attention in the literature. Gil and Crenshaw address this topic in a practical and readable manner, combining research findings with personal experiences and case studies. This book is an important addition to the libraries of practicing clinicians and academic training programs."--Daniel S. Sweeney, PhD, Director, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, George Fox University About the Authors: Eliana Gil, PhD, is founding partner in a private group practice, the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, in Fairfax, Virginia. She is also Director of Starbright Training Institute for Child and Family Play Therapy. Dr. Gil has worked in the field of child abuse prevention and treatment for over 40 years. A licensed marriage, family, and child counselor; an approved marriage and family therapy supervisor; a registered art therapist; and a registered play therapy supervisor, she is a former President of the Association for Play Therapy, which honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of The Healing Power of Play, Helping Abused and Traumatized Children, and Play in Family Therapy, Second Edition, among many other publications. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Dr. Gil is bilingual and bicultural. David A. Crenshaw, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S, is Clinical Director of the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie, New York. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association and of its Division of Child and Adolescent Psychology, he is past president of the Hudson Valley Psychological Association, which honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and of the New York Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Crenshaw has taught graduate play therapy courses at Johns Hopkins University and has published widely on child therapy, child abuse and trauma, and resilience in children. His books include Creative Arts and Play Therapy for Attachment Problems (coedited with Cathy A. Malchiodi), Play Therapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice (coedited with Anne L. Stewart), and Play Therapy Interventions to Enhance Resilience (coedited with Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein).
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