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Rating: 
Summary: Informative and empowering
Review: This book explores the dynamics of both harmful (abusive and neglectful) and therapeutic (specially-trained adoptive and foster) family environments. Disturbed children can be helped to develop more productive and satisfying relationships, the authors suggest, through the efforts of foster and adoptive parents working in the home environment, aided by the support, encouragement, and resources of the professionals on the team. Most of the book is concerned with therapeutic intervention, based on four goals: Manage acting out behavior; assist the child in becoming conscious of negative expectations of others; help the child develop constructive interpersonal skills; increase positive interactions between the parent and child. Delaney and Kunstal are clear there are no magic or immediate "cures." Their "unconventional" strategies (examples rather than prescriptions) attempt to discourage power struggles, create new opportunities for both the parent and the child, and encourage small successes in order to help motivate foster and adoptive parents to keep trying. This book, coupled with Fostering Changes (a previous book by the same author), should be required reading for foster and adoptive parents and caseworkers. It is informative and empowering.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and empowering
Review: This book explores the dynamics of both harmful (abusive and neglectful) and therapeutic (specially-trained adoptive and foster) family environments. Disturbed children can be helped to develop more productive and satisfying relationships, the authors suggest, through the efforts of foster and adoptive parents working in the home environment, aided by the support, encouragement, and resources of the professionals on the team. Most of the book is concerned with therapeutic intervention, based on four goals: Manage acting out behavior; assist the child in becoming conscious of negative expectations of others; help the child develop constructive interpersonal skills; increase positive interactions between the parent and child. Delaney and Kunstal are clear there are no magic or immediate "cures." Their "unconventional" strategies (examples rather than prescriptions) attempt to discourage power struggles, create new opportunities for both the parent and the child, and encourage small successes in order to help motivate foster and adoptive parents to keep trying. This book, coupled with Fostering Changes (a previous book by the same author), should be required reading for foster and adoptive parents and caseworkers. It is informative and empowering.
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