Deliberate practice exercises help students and trainees rehearse fundamental child and adolescent psychotherapy skills to develop basic competence and hone their own personal therapeutic style. Each book in the Essentials of Deliberate Practice series contains customized exercises consisting of role-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a therapist, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor. The trainee playing the therapist improvises appropriate and authentic responses to a series of client statements organized into three difficulty levels-beginner, intermediate, and advanced-that reflect common problems and concerns encountered by practitioners who work with children and adolescents. The first 12 exercises each focus on a single skill, such as observing and elaborating on play, exploring identity through a multicultural orientation, and addressing difficult issues like safety concerns and sex. These are followed by two comprehensive exercises-an annotated transcript and free-form mock therapy sessions-in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single session. Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines and forms to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.
Series Preface Tony Rousmaniere and Alexandre Vaz Acknowledgments Part I: Overview and Instructions Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Deliberate Practice and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Chapter 2: Instructions for the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Deliberate Practice Exercises Part II: Deliberate Practice Exercises for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills Exercises for Beginner Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills Exercise 1: Communicating Interest and Curiosity Exercise 2: Naming Feelings Exercise 3: Praise and Encouragement Exercise 4: Observing and Describing Play Exercises for Intermediate Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills Exercise 5: Empathic Validation Exercise 6: Elaborating Play Exercise 7: Exploring Identity-Multicultural Orientation Exercise 8: Self-Disclosure Exercises for Advanced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills Exercise 9: Gathering Information About Safety Concerns Exercise 10: Setting Limits Exercise 11: Talking About Sex Exercise 12: Responding to Resistance and Ruptures Comprehensive Exercises Exercise 13: Annotated Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Practice Session Transcript Exercise 14: Mock Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Sessions Part III: Strategies for Enhancing the Deliberate Practice Exercises Chapter 3: Additional Guidance for Trainers and Trainees: How to Get the Most Out of Deliberate Practice Appendix A: Difficulty Assessments and Adjustments Appendix B: Deliberate Practice Diary Form Appendix C: Sample Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Syllabus With Embedded Deliberate Practice Exercises References Index About the Authors About the Series Editors
