Experiential Family Counseling is an action-oriented approach to family therapy. Through the use of structured games, physical challenges, intellectual exercises, and guided activities, therapists can gain incredible insight into the behaviors and responses that contribute to or perpetuate a family's identified problems. While traditional treatment methods can get bogged down in verbal sparring between family members as they attempt to isolate problematic issues in an attempt to solve them, experiential therapy calls for families to work together to succeed in overcoming obstacles placed before them. Because the activities are designed as metaphors for the family's own problems, counselors are given the opportunity to help them practice solutions that can be utilized in their daily interactions and experiences. InSticking Together, Jaclyn Gerstein has provided therapists and family counselors with a wonderful tool for implementing experiential therapy in their own practices. In addition toa thoughtful overview of the uses and benefits of such unique techniques, she also provides detailed plans for developing experiential counseling sessions. With an easy to use, perforated format,Sticking Togetheroffers detailed descriptions of check-in, warm-up, and follow-up activities for therapists, plus an extensive selection of experiential family-building initiatives that will introduce "fun" into the vocabulary of family therapy.

Jackie S. Gerstein, Ed.D., L.P.C.C., has been a counselor and experiential educator for over twenty years. She currently teaches in the Masters Degree programs at both the College of Santa Fe and Western New Mexico University.

Foreword

ix

Introduction

xi

SECTION 1 The Feeoundations of Experiental Family Counseling

1

(12)

Experiential Counseling Defined

1

(2)

Experiential Family Counseling Defined

3

(1)

Characteristics of Experiential Family Counseling

3

(5)

Action-Centered

4

(1)

Strength-Promoting Program

4

(1)

Naturalistic Interactions

4

(1)

Use of Multifamily Groups

5

(1)

A Narrative Therapy Approach

6

(1)

The Focus on Play

6

(1)

The Developmental Needs of Children are Addressed

7

(1)

The Functions of the Experiential Activities

8

(2)

Increasing Interest and Motivation for the Counseling Sessions

8

(1)

Reducing Resistance

8

(1)

Generating Additional Information

9

(1)

Acting as Metaphors for Family Problem Areas

9

(1)

Changing Family Patterns and Testing New Behaviors

9

(1)

General Therapeutic Goals and Principles

10

(3)

Establishing Open and Honest Communication

10

(1)

Identifying Individual and Family Strengths

11

(1)

Developing a Solution-Focused Orientation

11

(1)

Modifying Family Roles

12

(1)

Having Fun as a Family

12

(1)

SECTION 2 Setting Up An Experiential Program

13

(20)

Preparing for the Program

13

(14)

Selection of Family Participants and Program Orientation

13

(1)

The Family Performance Agreement

14

(1)

Family Performance Agreement

15

(2)

Participant Registration and Informed Consent Form

17

(2)

Experiential Family counseling Participant Registration and Informed Consent Form

19

(4)

Description of Problems and Goal Setting

23

(2)

Goals of Experiential Family Counseling

25

(1)

Inventory of Family Interests and Strengths

25

(2)

The Experiential Counseling Program

27

(4)

Using a Multisession Format

27

(1)

Going to the Families

27

(1)

Offering Services at Times Convenient for the Family

27

(1)

Offering a Menu of Services

28

(1)

Ongoing Assessment

28

(3)

Follow-Up Strategies

31

(2)

Follow-Up Contracts

31

(1)

Progress Meetings

31

(1)

Use of Adjunct Programs

31

(2)

SECTION 3 Working with Different Age Groups

33

(10)

Special Issues of Young Children in Experiential Family counseling

34

(4)

Orientation

34

(1)

Attention Span

35

(1)

Physical and Verbal Skills

35

(1)

Multi-family Groups

36

(1)

Cultural Issues

36

(1)

Challenged Children

37

(1)

Summary

37

(1)

Experiential Family Counseling with Adolescents

38

(5)

Developmental Issues in Family Therapy with Adolescents

38

(1)

Experiential Family Counseling with Adolescents

38

(1)

Providing Opportunities for Leadership

39

(1)

Positive Communication

39

(1)

Power Struggles and Resistance

40

(1)

Gender and Sexual Orientation

40

(1)

Art & Music

41

(1)

Humor

41

(1)

Guiding Metaphor and Summary

41

(2)

SECTION 4 The Counseling Session

43

(126)

Introduction/Review Program Goals

43

(1)

Physical and Emotional Safety Check

43

(1)

PEEP: The Creation of Safe Space as a Norm in Experiential Family Counseling

44

(5)

Introduction

44

(1)

The PEEP Safety Check

44

(1)

Framework

45

(1)

P-Physical

45

(1)

E-Emotional

45

(1)

E-Environmental

45

(1)

P-Personal

45

(1)

Stop Mechanism

46

(1)

Methodology

46

(1)

Normalizing

47

(1)

PEEP as an Intervention

47

(1)

Summary

47

(2)

The PEEP Safety Checklist

49

(2)

Experiential Check-In Activities

51

(12)

Movement Chain

53

(2)

Musical Feelings

55

(4)

Biblio Check-In

59

(1)

Puppet Check-In

59

(2)

Pick A Feeling

61

(2)

Participant Rights and Responsibilities

63

(2)

Participant Bill of Rights

65

(1)

participant Responsibilities

66

(1)

Contracts

67

(12)

The Family Contract

69

(2)

The Behavioral Contract

71

(2)

Acceptable/Unacceptable Behaviors Form

73

(2)

Behavioral Family Contract

75

(2)

A Sample Behavioral Family Contract

77

(2)

Name Games and Warm-Ups

79

(22)

Purpose

79

(1)

Strategies

79

(2)

Name Games

81

(6)

Toss a Name

81

(2)

Duck, Duck, Goose Name Game

83

(2)

The Other Side Of the Blanket

85

(2)

Family Have You Evers?

87

(2)

Family Scavenger Hunt

89

(2)

Penny for Your Thoughts

91

(2)

Beach Ball Toss

93

(2)

Family Jump Rope

95

(2)

Family We-Play

97

(2)

Make Beliefs: A Gift For & From Your Family

99

(2)

Family-Building Initiatives

101

(52)

Purpose

101

(1)

Strategies for Selecting Family Building Initiatives

101

(2)

Guidelines for Selecting Family-Building Initiatives

103

(1)

Strategies for Using the Family-Building Initiatives

104

(3)

Emphasize Physical and Psychological Safety

104

(1)

Initially Use Initiatives to Break Down Barriers

104

(1)

Focus on the Process

104

(1)

Use Time-Outs

104

(1)

End An Initiative When It Is Not Working

104

(1)

Focus on Fun and Enjoyment

104

(1)

Identify Family Strengths

105

(1)

Use the Family-Building Initiatives as Metaphors

105

(1)

Emphasize Solutions, Not Problems

105

(1)

Identify and Disrupt Problematic Patterns

106

(1)

Process the Family-Building Initiatives

106

(1)

The Family Juggle

107

(2)

The Nurturing Spoons

109

(4)

Family Pick-Up Sticks

113

(2)

Family Parts

115

(2)

Family Knots

117

(4)

The Family Jewels

121

(4)

Family Tower of Power

125

(2)

Chain Reaction

127

(2)

The Family Strengths Protector

129

(4)

The Family Obstacle Field

133

(2)

Crossing the Problem Pit

135

(4)

Crossing Over Hard Ships

139

(4)

The Dumping Field

143

(4)

T-Shirt Panorama

147

(2)

Desert Island

149

(4)

Review and Closure

153

(16)

Purpose

153

(1)

Strategies

153

(2)

The Family Feelings Chart

155

(2)

Structured Questionnaires

157

(6)

Family Interaction Assessment

159

(2)

Family Strengths Focus

161

(2)

Expressive Arts Exercises for Review and Closure

163

(2)

Nature Symbol

163

(1)

The Family Crest

163

(1)

The Family Fantasy World

163

(1)

The Family Book

163

(1)

Family Warm Fuzzies

164

(1)

Bead Giving

164

(1)

Word for the Day

164

(1)

Follow-Up Contracts

165

(4)

Contract With Ourselves.

167

(2)

Bibliography

169

(2)

Author Index

171

(2)

Subject Index

173

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Sticking Together: Experiential Activities For Family Counselling

9781560328643

1560328649

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