Books published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Playing with Fire is a structured manual and training programme to help youth and conflict practitioners work with young people caught up in conflict and violence. This second edition includes new sessions on working with issues of identity and prejudice and working with wider community issues, as well as new exercises and activities.

This is a practical guide to working with children, outlining the basic skills needed and practical strategies to promote positive change and obtain the best results for children. The author outlines the theoretical background and how this translates into practical work and includes case examples which demonstrate the theory in practice.

Offering an inter-disciplinary approach to spirituality and personhood in dementia care, the contributors to this book are leading practitioners and researchers in the field. They provide both a theoretical structure and a practical understanding of the essential role that spirituality can play in the affirmation of personhood and identity.

This practical guide identifies the child and their relationship with the adult as the basis upon which real communication can be made. Topics covered include non-verbal communication, attentive listening, empathy, the part played by questions, working constructively with conflict and criticism, and communicating in groups.

Engaging with Fathers is written for the busy professional and avoids jargon. Each chapter contains summaries of the main points, examples of research, exercises, key issues to consider and suggestions for further reading. While developing practice with fathers, it remains firmly focused on what is best for children.

This practice and training guide is written with the needs of health and social care professionals working with people with dementia in mind. The book is illustrated with case studies and includes a chapter on understanding and responding to the needs of the carer - such as access to information and support - and the effect on their own health.

How Does Foster Care Work? is an international collection of empirical studies on the outcomes of children in foster care. Drawing on research and perspectives from leading international figures in children's services across the developed world, the book provides an evidence base for programme planning, policy and practice.

This book takes a comprehensive look at every aspect of the legal divorce process, and addresses the legal issues that divorcing parents of children with special needs face. It guides parents through the initial hurdles of choosing the right lawyer for their case, and explains exactly how to work with them to achieve the best possible outcome.

The book explores children's experiences of creative play, fairies, angels, imaginary friends, dreams, seeing deceased relatives alongside the more frightening realms of nightmares and the unexplained. It breaks new ground by giving voice to children of various ages to express how they encounter these worlds and why they often keep them a secret.

Bogdashina explores theories of sensory perception and communication in autism. Drawing on linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, anthropology and quantum mechanics, she looks at how the nature of the senses inform an individual's view of the world, and how language both reflects and constructs that view.

Trauma can result from a range of experiences from bullying to witnessing violence to living through war. This book explores the different reactions children may experience, and the impact trauma can have. Appropriate and effective ways of helping children after a traumatic event are outlined, and different types of therapy are discussed.

Adopting after Infertility is an informative interdisciplinary book that addresses the issues that professionals and adopters themselves face when going through the adoption process and the impact of infertility on their experiences. The book includes chapters on the effects of infertility, why people choose adoption and the assessment process.

In The Social Symbolism of Grief and Mourning Roger Grainger focuses on the role of funerals in promoting the personal and social adjustment of the bereaved. Tying together folklore with funeral practices, the author has created a work that examines the anthropological, psychological and superstitious aspects of our relationship to death and dying.

The author shows how drama therapy draws on both drama and ritual. He argues that personal construct theory provides a hermeneutically useful approach to the study of drama therapy. He shows that drama therapy itself is an effective treatment for depression and schizophrenia, having a measurable effect on thought disorder.

Drawing on her own development as an art therapist and her extensive experience of supervising new therapists and students, Schroder provides practical advice on encouraging nervous or reluctant clients, or those unfamiliar with art therapy, to benefit from artmaking. She argues for a two-way sharing of art between therapist and client.

Everyone seems to agree that children have to be heard, but not on how, where and when they can participate, or the organisation needed to facilitate it. This book addresses these questions. Margaret Bell looks at the reality of children's experiences, examines the variety of definitions of participation and highlights initiatives for involvement.

Biochemical imbalances caused by nutritional deficiencies are a contributory factor in chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, auto-immune conditions and cancer. This handbook for practitioners explains how to identify and treat such biochemical imbalances in order to better understand and manage a patient's ill-health.

The author provides a step-by-step guide, with photographs and clear text, to show how people with MS can improve their health and quality of life using Qigong. He explains how to use Qigong to improve balance and walking, and promote healthy breathing and relaxation.

The application of assessment frameworks hinges on human qualities and skills which are naturally prone to bias and inconsistency. This book aims to support workers in analysing and making sense of the information gathered, and increase accuracy and empathy in assessing the needs and risks for vulnerable children and young people.

This comprehensive book explores theories and practice of play. It suggests that media influences have a profound effect on behaviour, and by stressing the importance of understanding play as a chart of development, and drawing links between home, school, clinics and therapy, he offers the prospect of an understanding of delinquency and difficulty.

This book examines ageing in the context of the many faiths and cultures that make up Western society, and provides carers with the knowledge they need to deliver appropriate care to people of all faiths. Chapters are written by authoritative figures from each of the world's major faith groups about the beliefs and practices of their older people.

Based on seven years of experience running training courses, this manual is a tried and tested method of training people to counsel and aid others who are suffering loss and bereavement. The course confronts a fear of mortality, and develops the skills which enable the carer to fulfil their task.

Drawing on their own experiences as mediators, the contributors to this book discuss the benefits and drawbacks of mediation and use case studies to illustrate how mediation works in practice. This book provides a comprehensive overview of mediation as well as containing useful information and advice for anyone involved in mediation.

Informed by the author's experience writing serious case reviews, this book offers the practical information that child protection practitioners need and which is often absent in formal training. It offers advice for the known difficulties in practice such as home visiting, communicating with children and working with resistant clients.

The book is a comprehensive guide for family centre workers, and for all social workers working with children and families. Based on a psychodynamic approach emphasising the central importance of attachment in relationships, the book also applies systemic ideas and the 'therapeutic community' approach to the overall design of the centres.

Packed with fun sessions and practical group activities, Working with Young Women presents a multitude of opportunities for young women to build self-esteem, confidence and assertiveness. From art activities to life story work, the author offers ideas for a wide range of projects, games, discussions, drama and role-play to engage and motivate.

This short guide cuts through the confusing mass of legislation to provide a concise and jargon-free explanation of current community care practice and the law. It is an essential resource for busy practitioners at all levels as well as managers in both the statutory and voluntary sectors, and policy-makers in local authorities and the NHS.

This practical guide provides techniques and exercises to help practitioners work in a structured and focused way with parents after domestic violence has occurred. It sets out a framework for assessing risks and needs, and covers how to build strengths, set goals, and plan an intervention pathway.