Creative Breakthroughs in Therapy - Tales of Transformation and Astonishment

In the Solution-Focused and Strategic Therapy field this is a landmark book, the first to address all of the core and clinical competencies involved in running a practice, including learning and applying a conceptual map, developing and maintaining an effective therapeutic alliance, and intervention planning. With the patience of an experienced teacher and knowledge of a master therapist, Dr. Ellen Quick shows how to move from minimal competency to higher levels of proficiency. She addresses therapists from all of the behavioral health care disciplines and teaches them to tailor treatment to their clients’ unique strengths and proficiencies, discover and amplify what works, and change what doesn’t. Dr. Quick presents the essential knowledge, skills, and attitudinal components of each competency, with an emphasis on demonstrating their applications in actual clinical practice. Readers will appreciate that, by the end of the book, they will not only be able to demonstrate competence, which is a critical component of an evidence-based practice, but will also be excited to build proficiency in areas of special interest and expertise. The lessons learned in this book will allow readers to continue to advance their competency skills long after they have put it down.

The Peer Power Program is a peer training program designed for middle, high school, and higher education students, focusing on 8 core skills: Attending, Empathizing, Summarizing, Questioning, Genuineness, Assertiveness, Confrontation, and Problem Solving. Through a series of exercises, games, and self-awareness techniques, youth and adults involved in the program can gain the basic communication and mediation skills necessary to effectively help their peers.

The professional strategies book provides the program leader/facilitator with clear and easy to follow guidelines for implementing the Peer Power Program. After an overview of the peer program philosophy, training structure, and goals, the leader's guide proceeds through the thirteen Modules that are found in the student Workbook. For each exercise in the student Workbook, this leader's guide provides instructions for introducing and implementing the exercise, time and material requirements, description of its purpose and goal, and application assignments. Equipped with the professional strategies book, the program leader (teacher, school counselor, juvenile center officer, mental health professional and human resource professional) can quickly and confidently work through the Peer Power curriculum.

Depression is pandemic worldwide. In our society, millions desperately