Helping Bereaved Children: A Handbook for Practitioners » (3rd Edition)

Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, BCD, RPT-S, a board-certified diplomate in clinical social work and a registered play therapy supervisor, is a leading authority on play therapy with children who have experienced loss and traumatic bereavement. Dr. Webb was Professor at the Fordham University School of Social Service from 1979 until 2008, where she held the endowed James R. Dumpson Chair in Child Welfare Studies, was named University Distinguished Professor of Social Work, and founded Fordham’s Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Child and Adolescent Therapy. Author or editor of numerous books, Dr. Webb is a consulting editor for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. She is a past board member of the New York Association for Play Therapy and is on the editorial advisory board for the journal Trauma and Loss: Research Interventions. Dr. Webb is an active supervisor, consultant, and trainer, and presents frequently at play therapy, social work, trauma, and bereavement conferences in the United States and internationally.

This acclaimed work presents a range of counseling and therapy approaches for children who have experienced loss. Practitioners and students are given practical strategies for helping preschoolers through adolescents cope with different forms of bereavement, including death in the family, school, or community. Grounded in the latest research on child therapy, bereavement, trauma, and child development, the volume clearly explains the principles that guide interventions. Featuring a wealth of new content, the third edition retains the case-based format and rich descriptions of the helping process that have made the book so popular as a practitioner guide and text.

New to This Edition

*Significantly revised and updated to reflect new information and approaches; 9 new topics covered.

*Covers additional types of loss: war-related death in the family, deaths connected to natural disasters, and the loss of a pet.

*Additional therapy modalities: cognitive-behavioral therapy and play therapy; conjoint caregiver–child treatment; and bereavement groups and camps.

*Addresses how to help parents and teachers meet bereaved children's needs.

*Includes 11 reproducible assessment tools and handouts that can be photocopied by book purchasers or downloaded and printed from Guilford's website.

Booknews

Webb (social service, Fordham U.) draws on the clinical experiences of mental health professionals to present the theory and the practical aspects of therapeutic interventions with children who are suffering from a loss. The theoretical framework of a child's view of death is followed by sections on reactions to death in the family, and losses that affect whole communities, such as the death of a teacher or classmate. Webb lists sources for the materials she recommends. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)