Counselling Children: A Practical Introduction

by Kathryn Geldard, Rebecca Yin Foo

Overview

The market leading textbook for trainees and practitioners counselling children. It contains lots of short chapters offering practice frameworks, skills and interventions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781529669022
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Edition description:	Sixth Edition (Updated Edition)
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	7.32(w) x 9.13(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr Kathryn Geldard is now retired from clinical practice. She continues to conduct training workshops for counsellors and organisations and facilitate professional development supervision groups. Her academic career as senior lecturer in counselling at Queensland University of Technology and in the faculty of Arts and Business at the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), Australia includes programme leadership of the Counselling programme as well as development of the postgraduate Master of Counselling degrees. She is the author of a several textbooks founded on her extensive clinical counselling background with children, young people and their families.

Rebecca Yin Foo is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist who is experienced in providing psychological support for children with developmental disabilities and their families at the Cerebral Palsy League. Her work has led her to take a high level of practical and academic interest in ways of working with children to promote optimal positive outcomes. She currently works in private practice in Brisbane, Australia. Prior to obtaining her honours degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Educational and Developmental Psychology she completed a Bachelor of Medical Engineering. She has published a number of journal articles and presented conference papers nationally and internationally in relation to her studies in both Engineering and Psychology. She is the third author of the book, Counselling Children: A Practical Introduction.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the third edition     1
Counselling Children     3
Goals for counselling children     5
The child-counsellor relationship     8
Attributes of a counsellor for children     17
Practice Frameworks     23
Historical background and contemporary ideas about counselling children     25
The process of child therapy     45
The child's internal processes of therapeutic change     54
Sequentially Planned Integrative Counselling for Children (the SPICC model)     61
Counselling children in the context of family therapy     73
Counselling children in groups     89
Child Counselling Skills     97
Observation     99
Active listening     103
Helping the child to tell their story and get in touch with strong emotions     110
Dealing with resistance and transference     119
Dealing with self-concept and self-destructive beliefs     127
Actively facilitating change     133
Termination of counselling     144
Skills for counselling children in groups     147
Play Therapy - Use of Media and Activities     157
The play therapy room     159
Selecting theappropriate media or activity     164
The use of miniature animals     173
Sand-tray work     180
Working with clay     188
Drawing, painting, collage and construction     196
The imaginary journey     206
Books and stories     212
Puppets and soft toys     218
Imaginative pretend play     225
Games     235
The Use of Worksheets     243
Building self-esteem     245
Social skills training     250
Education in protective behaviours     260
In Conclusion     269
Worksheets     271
Bibliography     307
Index     312

Editorial Reviews

‘I like the interactive style in which the book is written, whereby the reader is invited to consider how they might deal with a situation... following which the authors explain how they approach it... The book is for counsellors in training and a resource for practising counsellors. The methods described can be adapted to different settings, for example school and home... I would recommend this comprehensive and stimulating book to anyone who is interested or involved in working in a therapeutic way with children' - Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling

‘This book raises interesting questions concerning practical issues within the counselling relationship with the child... The book is clearly written, well organized and lives up to its claim to be jargon-free. It is written in an interactive style which not only encourages the reader to consider and question issues but is also "user-friendly ". Although the authors outline a variety of resource material, they acknowledge the reality of budgetary restrictions in the cost conscious '90s. Good practice is stressed throughout and I found this an easily read, interesting book which should appeal to practitioners from a variety of professional backgrounds. It could easily be described as a working handbook, making it a useful addition to those considering counselling children' - The Lecturer, NATFHE Journal

‘Useful in the training of new counsellors and provides ideas for experienced counsellors.... a practical guide [from which] individuals can extract ideas which have a personal fit...The book provides an introduction to many creative approaches to counselling work with children...A useful summary of basic counselling skills is provided' - Young Minds

From the Publisher

The book follows a natural progression from the beginning of developing the initial relationship, through looking at different models of counselling, the skills necessary for working with children, to the use of different media – the use of play in all its various forms, visualisations, and the use of worksheets.

The real value for money comes for me with the huge number of online resources, including videos and worksheets available via the use of a code given in the book.

BACP - Lynn Martin

This book is a classic text for students and practitioners interested in learning more about working with children. It is easy to read and the examples given bring to life the real challenges faced in practice. At the end of each Chapter is a helpful key points box which is ideal for summarising the contents of each chapter. An essential text in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.

Divine Charura

Counselling Children has been an excellent resource to enhance the practice of psychotherapy with children since its first edition published in 1997. I first met the Geldards at their informative workshops in Brisbane in those early years, which thoroughly enhanced my work with children. Their published books were an added bonus. This fifth edition further supports the therapist with an addition of a Companion Website. It is a highly recommended resource, and one that I value, for every therapist working with children.

Dianne O'Malley

This book is first class. It is well written and engaging and contains a wealth of exercises and activities to use with children. I love this book.

Sally Riggall

From the time that this book was first written by the Geldards in 1997 I have been recommending it to my colleagues, trainees, and supervisees, having found it to be invaluable in my own work. This forth edition has been greatly expanded including additional material from a third contributor Rebecca Yin Foo, who also writes a helpful introduction... This book is a 'must have' for any practitioner who works with children.

Pat Havell