Connecting with Kids Through Stories

The authors are all based at the Family Attachment and Counseling Center, Minnesota, USA. Denise B. Lacher is a psychologist who specializes in treating children who have experienced maltreatment in early life. Todd Nichols is Executive Director. He is co-recipient of the 2008 Pro Humanitate Award issued by the Center for Child Welfare Policy and sole recipient of the 2007 New Horizons Award issued by the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children. Melissa Nichols is a marriage and family therapist who specializes in treating children who have experienced abandonment, neglect, and abuse early in life. Joanne C. May is a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist and founder of the Family Attachment and Counseling Center. She has over 50 years' experience working with families, children and adolescents.

• Foreword. Acknowledgements Legacy of an Adopted Child. Introduction. 1. The Internal Working Model. 2. Putting the Pieces Together: Discovering the Child's Model. 3. Narratives that Bond, Heal and Teach. 4. Parental Attunement and Regulation. 5. Claiming Narratives. 6. Trauma Narratives. 7. Developmental Narratives. 8. Successful Child Narratives. 9. Stories, Stories and More Stories. 10. Conclusion. Appendix A. EMDR. Appendix B. Story Construction Guide. References. Resources and Recommended Reading. Index.

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting and stimulating read. The early chapters refreshed my knowledge and understanding of attachment difficulties, particularly as they relate to adopted children. I found the Family Attachment Narrative Therapy approach and the case examples given fascinating and was pleased that parents were of key importance in developing their own narratives... I would recommend this book both to professionals working with adoptive families, to parents of adopted children and to those with an interest in this area or in therapeutic story telling.