HIGHLIGHTS

• The central elements in effective psychotherapy
• The mutual storytelling techniqueli>
• The Talking, Feeling, and Doing Game
• Use of the home videocassette recorder in child psychotherapy
• The Storytelling Card Game

Dr. Gardner begins with a description of the personal and historical background for the various techniques in child psychotherapy that have influenced him. Next, he describes what he considers to be the central processes by which psychogenic symptoms are formed and the basic ways in which child psychotherapy brings about clinical change. He then discusses in detail the therapist-patient relationship, the methods by which the therapist can contribute to the development of a good relationship with the patient, and the specific ways in which such a relationship contributes to clinical change. His chapters on the initial screening interview and the intensive diagnostic evaluation provide therapists with an evaluative format that can serve optimally as a foundation for effective treatment.

Next, he details the ways in which he utilizes parents in children’s therapy. He then describes in detail his mutual storytelling technique and The Talking, Feeling, and Doing Game, with updated material at both the theoretical and clinical levels. His chapter on bibliotherapy discusses the ways in which he uses his various children’s books in therapy. And his chapters on psychoanalytically oriented child psychotherapy and family therapy, when combined with the previously presented material, provide the reader with a full description of Dr. Gardner’s psychotherapeutic techniques with children.

This volume has become a classic in the field—a book that is a standard reference for therapists who work with children.