Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers school counsellors a practical and meaningful approach to helping students deal with a range of issues. This is achieved through encouraging psychological flexibility through the application of six key principles. This article describes our introduction to ACT, ACT's application to children and…

Many school counsellors have identified "cyber-bullying" among adolescent girls as a growing concern. In order to respond to this issue, this article begins with a new model of cyber-communications from the unique perspective of adolescent girls. Next, it explores the limitations of responding to this model, based on current understandings of…

This article illustrates an art activity for use in psychotherapy with children or adolescents. The purpose of the activity is to utilize creativity to increase problem solving for child clients and to allow their narratives to expand therapeutically. The processing of the activity allows the art to be transformed into language, thereby involving…

Focusing on "re-membering" practices is new to grief counseling. Traditional approaches to grief counseling are guided by the concepts of stages or tasks, usually to move the person toward accepting the reality of loss and to "say goodbye" to their deceased loved one. This alternative approach to grief counseling, driven by…

Psychologists working in schools are often the first contacts for children experiencing a potentially traumatizing event or change in status. This article reviews basic concepts in crisis counseling and describes the components of psychological first aid. This form of counseling must be developmentally and culturally appropriate as well as…

Providing individual and group counseling has become an identified role for school psychologists working in the school setting. There is an extensive research base that highlights positive outcomes and supports the use of a variety of counseling methods when working with children and adolescents. However, there may exist a host of other outcomes,…

Adolescence is a time of unparalleled threat, change, challenge, and opportunity. Rates of psychopathology increase dramatically during adolescence, yet many therapists find it hard to engage with adolescents. The organization of this book follows the typical emergence of specific syndromes in the course of development. Chapters are: (1) "General…

Adolescents may be ambivalent about consulting with adults, especially when it seems likely that the adult will take a rigid stance on issues. The focus of this paper is the development of counseling styles that expand the adolescent's world to include understandings and options not previously available. It may be useful to approach counseling…

In the summer of 2004, a number of psychotherapists with old ties to the University of Michigan or UCLA decided to write 500-word vignettes that attempted to capture a turning point in one of their child patient's psychotherapies. What did the child and adolescent psychiatrist do to elicit such a moment? Upon receiving seven vignettes, one of us…

Presented are: (1) a review of literature which attempts to define the nature of the adolescent crisis among adopted children; and (2) an attempt to develop a theoretical perspective on adopted adolescents which incorporates a biological-social view of the causes of adolescents' problems. The paper attempts to develop an intervention-guiding model…

Referral and initiation of psychotherapy for children and adolescents are decisions most frequently made by others. To investigate the nature of minors' participation in treatment decision making and the relationship between such participation and motivation, adjustment, and outcomes, the behaviors and attitudes of 42 youths (32 male, 10 female,…

Research indicates that families that adopt have many problems that would have existed even if the adopted child had been a biological member of the family, but that become more complex and intense due to adoption. A psychosocial and psychodynamic perspective toward family life suggests that in the adoption process, child and family pass through…

Research on depression among gifted adolescent females is reviewed. A psychotherapeutic model drawing on established feminist therapy strategies is presented for counselors working with gifted adolescent females. The model emphasizes recognizing harmful effects of patriarchal society, supporting females in self-exploration, and pursuing nonsexist…

Targeted specifically toward children and adolescents, this book provides resources for therapists that will assist them in aiding children with their feelings, incorporating play techniques into therapy, providing group therapy to children, and encouraging appropriate parental involvement. Topics covered include sleep problems, divorce, illness,…

This book presents groundbreaking strategies for psychotherapy with today's teens, for whom high-risk behavior, lack of adult guidance, and intense anxiety and stress increasingly come with the territory. Ron Taffel addresses the key challenge of building a therapeutic relationship that is strong enough to promote real behavioral and emotional…