This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key concepts of attachment theory, from the work of its founder John Bowlby to the most recent research within the field. The first part of the book gives readers a clear understanding of attachment theory during infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and in bereavement. The second part of the book illustrates how attachment theory can be used to inform clinical interventions with children in different contexts, adults, and within wider health, social and educational systems. Using case examples throughout, the authors provide the reader with a practical understanding of the clinical applications of attachment theory across the lifespan and in varying health, social care and educational systems. Attachment theory is one of the most important lifespan development theories and is relevant to students and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, psychology, child development, mental health and applied social sciences.

Systemic Therapy and Attachment Narratives explores how attachment-based ideas can be used in clinical practice by offering a practical and sophisticated exposition of clinical approaches. This new edition offers an updated overview of the integrations of attachment, systemic and narrative theory, and practice incorporating key developments in developmental trauma, intergenerational trauma and neuroscience of the emotional brain. It shows how early emotional experiences set the tone of the narratives we develop about our lives and how these in turn shape our emotional connections. This edition is more oriented towards activities and features more visual representations of problematic patterns of interaction, showing their significance for the family members. It also uses clinical examples to provide guidance on using attachment narrative therapy in different clinical contexts and with various client groups. The book provides practical guidance for a range of mental health professionals including family therapists, child, adolescent and adult psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and social workers, enabling them to apply this approach in a range of contexts.

Systemic Therapy and Attachment Narratives explores how attachment-based ideas can be used in clinical practice by offering a practical and sophisticated exposition of clinical approaches. This new edition offers an updated overview of the integrations of attachment, systemic and narrative theory, and practice incorporating key developments in developmental trauma, intergenerational trauma and neuroscience of the emotional brain. It shows how early emotional experiences set the tone of the narratives we develop about our lives and how these in turn shape our emotional connections. This edition is more oriented towards activities and features more visual representations of problematic patterns of interaction, showing their significance for the family members. It also uses clinical examples to provide guidance on using attachment narrative therapy in different clinical contexts and with various client groups. The book provides practical guidance for a range of mental health professionals including family therapists, child, adolescent and adult psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and social workers, enabling them to apply this approach in a range of contexts.

Systemic theory offers a valuable framework for integrating the diverse ideas found throughout the mental health arena in both theory and clinical practice. With this accessible book, the authors take you on an enjoyable and coherent journey through systemic theory. They then review the body of research into family therapy and conclude with a critical review of major recent developments in theory and application. At the end of several chapters are reflexive notes containing exercises that relate to the ideas and processes found within the chapter to further develop the reader's understanding. The conclusion draws together the ideas found throughout the book, with particular emphasis on the interlocking triangle of formulation, intervention and evaluation and how this will impact on systemic practice in the future. While this book will be an invaluable introduction to family systems theory and practice for clinical psychology training courses, plugging a gap that the authors have identified as one of their motives for writing it, its remit runs much wider. It will prove an essential companion for any professional working in the public services, whether systemically trained or not.

This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to key concepts of attachment theory, from the work of its founder John Bowlby to the most recent research within the field. The first part of the book gives readers a clear understanding of attachment theory during infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and in bereavement. The second part of the book illustrates how attachment theory can be used to inform clinical interventions with children in different contexts, adults, and within wider health, social and educational systems. Using case examples throughout, the authors provide the reader with a practical understanding of the clinical applications of attachment theory across the lifespan and in varying health, social care and educational systems. Attachment theory is one of the most important lifespan development theories and is relevant to students and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, psychology, child development, mental health and applied social sciences.

This invaluable contribution to working with families, whether as a family therapist, clinician or parent, offers insight into how problems for families and children arise and what can help. Don't Blame the Parents explores the ubiquitous issue of blame and responsibility in families, especially of parents feeling blamed for causing or exacerbating problems. The book examines problems that we all encounter in family relationships, whether with children's behaviour, marital anxiety, or not feeling like we are the effective parent that we intend to be. Blame can restrict our ability as therapists, clinicians and family members to explore family dynamics and responsibility for emerging problems in a constructive and progressive way. It can prevent exploration of family dynamics and of finding workable options for long-term positive change and better understanding the role of the family unit. The book draws on attachment and systemic perspectives on family therapy to support the view that parents generally intend to repeat or correct positive childhood experiences, while exploring why these intentions may become derailed. Seminal and contemporary research as well as clinical cases feature, all with an eye to fostering positive and responsible families. "Rudi Dallos offers us a thoughtful and helpful deconstruction of the crucial ethical and therapeutic differences between blame and responsibility in family life. Drawing on his integration of trauma theory and attachment theory with systemic theory and practice, he explores the vexed questions of causality, context and intergenerational influences in the understanding and alleviation of distress in close relationships." Arlene Vetere, Professor of Family Therapy and Systemic Practice, VID Specialized University, Oslo, Norway

The first edition of "Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy" caught the wave of growing interest in formulation in a clinical context. This completely updated and revised edition summarises recent practice, research, developments and debates while retaining the features that made the first a leading text in the field. It contains new chapters on personal construct formulation, formulation in health settings, and the innovative practice of using formulation in teams.

The book sees formulation as a dynamic process which explores personal meaning collaboratively and reflectively, taking account of relational and social contexts. Two case studies, one adult and one child, illustrate the use of formulation from the perspectives of expert clinicians from six different theoretical positions. The book encourages the reader to take a constructively critical perspective on the many philosophical, professional and ethical debates raised by the process of formulating people s problems. Among the issues explored are:

The social and political context of formulation

Formulation in relation to psychiatric diagnosis

The limitations of formulation

Controversies and debates about formulation

This readable and comprehensive guide to the field provides a clear, up to date and thought-provoking overview of formulation from a number of perspectives, essential for clinicians working in all areas of mental health and social care, psychology, therapy and counselling.

The first edition of "Formulation in Psychology and Psychotherapy" caught the wave of growing interest in formulation in a clinical context. This completely updated and revised edition summarises recent practice, research, developments and debates while retaining the features that made the first a leading text in the field. It contains new chapters on personal construct formulation, formulation in health settings, and the innovative practice of using formulation in teams.

The book sees formulation as a dynamic process which explores personal meaning collaboratively and reflectively, taking account of relational and social contexts. Two case studies, one adult and one child, illustrate the use of formulation from the perspectives of expert clinicians from six different theoretical positions. The book encourages the reader to take a constructively critical perspective on the many philosophical, professional and ethical debates raised by the process of formulating people s problems. Among the issues explored are:

The social and political context of formulation

Formulation in relation to psychiatric diagnosis

The limitations of formulation

Controversies and debates about formulation

This readable and comprehensive guide to the field provides a clear, up to date and thought-provoking overview of formulation from a number of perspectives, essential for clinicians working in all areas of mental health and social care, psychology, therapy and counselling.

""This is a rigorously edited book that maintains consistency throughout, I found the concluding chapter 'reflections on reflections' particularly useful. This book captures what is current in reflective practice neatly charting its dissemination from education theory into the different therapy schools. Reflective practice is effectively illustrated within the different therapeutic schools. I will be recommending this book to other members of the multidisciplinary team where I work.""BMA Medical Book Awards 2010 - Highly Commended in the Psychiatry Section

"Reflective Practice" has become established as an essential feature of practice in psychotherapy and counselling in the UK, Europe, USA and some other parts of the world. However, the writing on reflective practice is arguably fragmented and scattered, and much of it is highly theoretical and abstract.

This book draws together conceptual and ethical issues regarding reflective practice, including the meaning and development of the orientation. More importantly, it connects theory to day-to-day practice in psychotherapy and counselling, addressing issues such as:

What does reflective practice look like, in practice? How do we develop the skills in carrying it out? What ways does it assist practice?

The book offers an exploration of reflective practice within different models of psychotherapy and counselling: CBT, psycho-dynamic and narrative, systemic family therapy, narrative and community approaches. Throughout, it employs a range of illustrations from a variety of clinical contexts to illustrate reflective practice in action. These include work with; children and families, adult mental health, trauma and abuse, learning disability, youth offending and bereavement and loss.

The mix of theoretical background along with practical examples and exercises will be key for students and practioners in the fields of psychotherapy and counselling. The book will be a spur to readers to challenge dominant assumptions and modes of clinical practice and help them fulfil the compulsory requirement for a reflective practice element in their training.

Attachment & Family Therapy offers an integrative, family-based approach to understanding and addressing the psychological and relational needs of distressed children and their parents. The book blends attachment theory and basic developmental research with the diverse insights and methods of all schools of family systems theory. The problems addressed range from mild developmental issues, to autism, ADHD, disability, divorce and separation, psychosomatic disorders, and child protection and out-of-home placement. The solutions described involve not only traditional forms of family therapy, but also formulations and conceptualizations that combine individual, couples, and family work around specific issues. Crittenden, Dallos, Landini and Kozlowska present a model of attachment that fits the breadth of clinical variation, focuses on family strengths, is developmentally sophisticated and structurally informed by insights from neurology and information-processing. This model generates a systemic approach to treatment in which dysfunction is interpersonal. It is a response to real danger experienced by family members and requires uniquely sensitive interpersonal responses.

This textbook provides an up-to-date guide to the application of Attachment Narrative Therapy (ANT), a model that combines concepts and techniques from systemic family therapy, narrative therapy and theory and attachment theory. Edited and with contributions from leading practitioners of ANT, this book brings together illustrations of its applications in a variety of clinical settings. It offers practical guidance and the latest research from clinicians who are now advancing its application. Another important feature is illustration of how practitioners have developed ANT to incorporate the latest ideas and methods from trauma theory and neuro-biology. It will provide a valuable new resource for practitioners, teachers and students of systemic practice, family therapy, clinical psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.

This book, offering reader the opportunity to reflect on ideas in the field of systemic and family therapy, examines the cross-fertilization of ideas that can result from an integration of systemic theory, personal construct theory, and the influential work on the analysis of narratives.

This book, offering reader the opportunity to reflect on ideas in the field of systemic and family therapy, examines the cross-fertilization of ideas that can result from an integration of systemic theory, personal construct theory, and the influential work on the analysis of narratives.

. . What are the benefits of conducting research while practising?. . . Which research methods are most suitable for busy practitioners? . . How can practitioners weave research into their everyday practice without it becoming a burdensome add-on?. What practical and ethical considerations should counsellors and therapists take into account when researching?. . This book focuses on the issues facing practising clinicians wishing to engage in research. It outlines approaches involving both clients and other professionals in the research and argues for approaches that combine an exploration of the experience as well as the effectiveness of therapies.

. . With an emphasis on do-able research, the book examines the dilemmas and challenges for clinicians in recruiting participants and combining research with clinical practice, and includes step-by-step guides to doing research projects.

. . Key topics covered include: . . . Collaborative research. . The ethics of research . Mixed methods of research (qualitative and quantitative). . Suitable research methods for busy clinicians. Practice-based evidence and evidence-based practice. . . . . Written by authors with extensive experience of research teaching with clinicians, "Researching Psychotherapy and Counselling" provides a rigorous, yet practical guide for trainee and practising counsellors, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists, as well as allied mental health professionals.. . . . . . .

What are some of the central connections between narrative, systemic and attachment therapies? How do early emotional experiences in families shape our narratives about ourselves and our families? In what ways do family attachments shape our narrative abilities, such as being able to reflect on and integrate our experiences? This book sets out a framework for practice - Attachment Narrative Therapy - that provides a new approach to working with families, couples and individuals. This is not offered as a prescriptive model but as an aid and guide to practice that draws aspects of narrative and attachment therapy into systemic work. The synthesis of these ideas offers clinicians a new integrative way to approach their practice - one in which the three approaches are used to create a greater whole than their constituent parts.

The book includes: Clinical examples Personal reflections Frameworks for clinical practice Therapeutic guides that include details of the application of core techniques Extensive reading guides that offer connections to related theory and practice "Attachment Narrative Therapy" is essential reading for a wide variety of therapists and counsellors along with researchers and trainers in those fields. It also provides insight into good practice for health and social welfare professionals in the area of family and child welfare.

`The team has achieved an admirable overall coherence in representing the range of ideas, methodologies and modes of analysis that will be found in this area of social life.... it is likely to find a place on the reading lists of many future social psychology courses' - Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology Relationships play a central part in people's lives, and a number of exciting interdisciplinary perspectives have recently emerged to shed new light on what it means to be in a relationship with another human being. This volume offers an authoritative yet accessible examination of a wide variety of these perspectives, drawing from a broader than usual range of material and including considerable reference to clinical contexts and case-studies. Overall, this book provides an introduction to the cutting edge of research about human relationships and interactions, engaging readers in a debate central not only to academic researchers and clinicans but to their own lives. This is the course text for The Open University course Social Psychology: Personal Lives, Social Worlds (D317).

A clearly written textbook, Social Interaction and Personal Relationships explores the interactions between people as they develop relationships with each other and examines what lies behind the behavior we can observe from these interactions. The contributors probe the main themes that arise from the study of social and personal relationships, including power, change and development, function, levels of analysis, the construction of meaning, and autonomy/choice. Each theme is illustrated in the opening chapter with accounts of a range of relationships, such as parent/child, disabled person/caregiver, and therapist/client relationships. The text concludes with invited readings from outstanding scholars in the field. Social Interaction and Personal Relationships provides an excellent examination of relationships and their social context that will guide students in their study of social psychology as well as sociology and human relationships.

`Provide[s] a good overview of current family theory and research.... well written and worth having' - British Journal of Medical Psychology `Altogether an excellent collection for students of social policy, social care or social work, covering as it does both subjective and objective features of family life and the logics of inequality within which they are embedded' - Child and Family Social Work This revised and updated introductory text presents an accessible, interdisciplinary account of how 'the family' is constituted in the 'public' and 'private' spheres. Drawing in a wide range of theoretical perspectives from sociology, social policy, psychology and psychoanalysis, this book critically examines assumptions about 'the family' that are embedded in social policy, law and political discourse. The text outlines the tensions that exist between such assumptions and the lived realities and everyday experiences of family life. Understanding the Family shows how dominant understanding of the family have failed to recognize a marked diversity of family forms in contemporary society, and also ignore the complex and myriad ways in which family life comes to be experienced.

In the search for the causes of and solutions to social problems, no social institution has been allocated such a central role as the family. This volume examines how `the family' is constituted both in explanations of social problems and in modes of state intervention. The contributors consider some of the most controversial social policy issues in Britain today: domestic violence; child abuse; old age; mental health; juvenile delinquency; and poverty and homelessness. In examining these social problems, the contributors address key definitional issues, assess traditional and alternative theoretical perspectives and survey different modes of intervention. They show just how pervasive and complex the state regulation of family life is in contemporary society. With its illuminating interdisciplinary approach, this volume is an essential textbook for students and practitioners in all fields of family-related social work, social policy and social science disciplines. It is a Course Book for The Open University course D311 Family Life and Social Policy.