Assessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families: Volume One: Practitioners Share Their Most Effective Techniques Paperback – September 4, 2008

Good Read

I bought this book about six years ago and it's been tremendously useful with clients as I built up my private practice. I love how Lowenstein compiled so many creative activities from her hive mind of professional colleagues into one comprehensive resource. A fringe benefit of this book is how easy it was to adapt activities to work over telehealth when I saw all my clients virtually during the height of COVID. Games like Connect 4 and So Much More, The Feelings Wheel Game, Magic Carpet Ride and Paint Spots were particularly popular with younger kids to help with emotional expression and healthy parent-child communication. Highly, highly recommend this book!

I am a school-based therapist and go to different schools to provide therapy to my clients and this book has been helpful. As others have noted, many of these activities require materials. I do not have my own office so all of my materials I must keep in my car so this makes it difficult to do all of these activities. Overall this is a great book, even better if you have the resources and a private office.

Assessment and Treatment Techniques for Children, Adolescents, and Families is an excellent resource for therapists. I use many of the techniques in this book on a daily basis. I love the creative, interactive ideas. I highly recommend this book to anyone working with youth and their families.Other books on this topic that I recommend are:Don't Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens: Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills for Helping You Manage Mood Swings, Control Angry Outbursts, and Get Along with Others (Instant Help)The Social Success Workbook for Teens: Skill-Building Activities for Teen with Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, and Other Social-SkilThe Anger Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anger and Frustration (Instant Help)Cinderella the Sequel : When the Fairy Tale Ends and Real Life BeginsA Parent's Guide to Understanding and Motivating Children (Raising Kids Who Can Series)Raising Kids Who Can: Use Good Judgement Assume Responsibility Communicate Effectively Respect Self & Others Cooperate Develop Self Esteem & Enjoy LifeThe Parent's Handbook: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting

I have utilized this book for a while in my play therapy practice. This book is an excellent resource for new and seasoned therapist! You will be able to utilize every page of this book in your work with children and families. This book has resources from the assessment phase to the termination phase. I highly recommend this book for play therapists, counselors, family therapists, school counselors and other mental health professionals. Other Lowenstein books I recommend:Assessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families VOLUME TWO: Practitioners Share Their Most Effective TechniquesAssessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families VOLUME THREE: Practitioners Share Their Most Effective Techniques

I am an elementary school counselor, and another counselor in my district highly recommended this book as a resource. I think it's fine, but was disappointed by the lack of ready-to-go lesson plans. It's almost like that was what the book was designed for, and yet so many of the suggested activities require outside objects or additional books that it's hard to just pull something in the middle of the day when I might need resources for my work with an individual student. You'd have to use these activities after you planned well in advance for them first. So, all-in-all, it's a fine book, but it's not exactly what I was looking for.

I love this book (and Volume 2)...there are so many great ideas and activities to choose from. I have used so many ideas from this book in individual, group and family settings. As a fairly new counselor, this book has been a valuable resource and although I haven't had it long, the pages are worn from me going through to find a great activity to use almost every day. I've even been able to take their original ideas and adapt them to my client's needs without having too much trouble. This is a must have for anyone working with children, especially if you're new to the counseling arena.

Attention therapists: This volume offers 70+ engaging techniques to use in every stage of therapy, from the first session to the last. Sections include: Engagement and Assessment, Feelings Expression, Social Skills, Coping and Problem-Solving, Self-Esteem, and Termination. Each technique clearly spells out recommended age range, goals, materials needed, advance preparation and a "how-to" description. The materials needed are either included or simple objects that most therapists will already have on their shelves. A discussion by the contributing therapist concludes each technique and offers valuable insight and suggestions. With so many talented contributors, this book is like a networking session that is always available!