Abstract

At a time when expectations and assumptions about the delivery of services to children and adolescents are being reconfigured - for example, around the rights of children and adolescents as young citizens - adults are seeking to ensure that they deliver services in creative and empowering ways, ensuring that the opinions of young people are actively solicited and encouraged. Action methods - communication methods using the body as well as speech - provide non-threatening ways of communicating which can be understood by children of all ages and from many cultures.

This book places action methods in a theoretical, technical and political framework and documents examples of good practice. Discussion of the application of action methods to work with young people focuses on differing issues and populations, for example children and adolescents who face life-threatening illnesses, or those involved in peer counselling in schools. Contributions from several different countries emphasise the wide potential of action methods for use with young people. This book provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging resource for those interested in exploring and understanding why action methods are particularly useful when working with young people.

This is a challenging and exciting book and I loved it. It grapples with some of the most pressing issues facing both organisations and individuals seeking to work with young people in empowering ways.There is a real richness in the variety of contributions many showing snapshots of young people taking centre stage in their own life dramas. The contributors offer us a variety of experiences in different contexts, including health, education and juvenile youth justice. This book doesn't shy away from the politics of working with young people and is not afraid of discussing some of the contradictory tensions and dynamics that are at play in this work. It manages to be both a valuable resource and also deeply optimistic - an irresistible combination.
British Journal of Psychodrama
This book is a rich source of case studies which catalogues and promotes the use of action methods used in healing of pain and hurt experienced by young people. In perfect mirror image of the principles of such a child centred discipline, the young people hold the centre stage and starring roles, and therapists and the therapeutic process serve as the supporting cast.
Youth & Policy Vol 80 Oct 03