Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families

Thoroughly revised and expanded, the second edition of this successful text and professional resource offers an alternative approach to thinking about and working with 'difficult' families. From a nonpathologizing stance, William C. Madsen demonstrates creative ways to help family members shift their relationship to longstanding problems; envision desired lives; and develop more proactive coping strategies. The second edition has been thoroughly updated with practice innovations and many new case illustrations. New appendices provide outlines for crafting collaborative assessments, therapy contracts, and other documentation that enhances accountability while also engaging clients and eliciting their strengths. Anyone working with families in crisis, especially in settings where time and resources are scarce, will gain valuable insights and tools from this book.

William C. Madsen, PhD, is the Director of the Training Program in Collaborative and Narrative Therapies at the Family Institute of Cambridge and the Director of the Family-Centered Services Project, an organizational change initiative dedicated to helping state organizations and community agencies develop more respectful and responsive ways of interacting with clients and families. Over the past 25 years, he has developed and administered many innovative programs, and currently provides training and consultation regarding collaborative approaches to therapy and the development of institutional cultures that support family-centered work.