Abstract

Therapy with Children is a vital resource for any practitioner navigating the legal minefield of working with children and young people. Prioritising the needs of the child as the client, the authors explore the legal and professional dimensions of working therapeutically with children.

This long-awaited second edition responds to significant shifts in policy and the revised text additionally addresses:

- the importance of confidentiality in establishing a working alliance and maintaining a secure environment for therapy with children

- the conflicting pressures faced by therapists concerning issues of parental involvement and children at risk

- changes in light of the Children Act 2004, Mental Health Act 2007, and the Axon case

- changes in the organisation of child protection

- increased provision of therapeutic services for children, particularly in school settings, and the growing numbers of counsellors working with children

- the relevance of psychoanalysis in development of child-focused therapy, as well as reference to other therapeutic approaches to child therapy

- the urgent case for developing 'confidential spaces' within therapeutic services for children and young people.

Illustrated with vivid case examples, Therapy with Children provides stimulating reading and is an excellent source of reference for all psychotherapists and counsellors working with children. The issues here will also be of direct relevance to youth workers, teachers, social workers and health professionals.
Therapy with Children provides a detailed and accessible insight into the issues regarding the integrity of therapeutic privacy. Through reference to case studies, law and recent government policy, it unpicks the dilemmas facing the therapist and gives a sound basis for prioritising the child's choice. This book is important for those working therapeutically with children (particularly those working in schools) and to the therapist's supervisor.

Janette Newton, Head of the Dudley Counselling Service for Children and Young People.

The second edition will be a must for my reference book library, with its seamless integration of important updates in the law as it applies to our field. I found the first edition helpful - and influential - in the way I went about setting up my school counselling service ten years ago. I was able to quote the law and reasoning from the book to reassure senior management that the child-centred way was also law-abiding, and thus establish a service where the young person's interests were genuinely paramount. I recommend anyone working in this field, whether student or with years of experience, to have a copy on their bookshelf.