Table of Contents

Introduction: Reflective Practice in Frenzied Times
1. Working with Multi-Stressed Families: Recognizing the Importance of Relational Stance
2. What We See Is What We Get: Reexamining Our Assessment Process
3. Collaboration Is a Two-Way Street: Engaging Reluctant Families
4. Developing a Proactive Vision to Guide Clinical Work: Collaborative Therapy Contracts
5. Collaborative Inquiry: An Anthropological Approach to Intervening with Families
6. Examining the Relationship between Clients and the Problems in Their Lives
7. Helping Clients Shift Their Relationship to Problems and Develop Preferred Lives
8. Developing Communities to Support New Lives
9. Solidifying New Lives through Therapeutic Documents
10. Sustaining a Collaborative Practice in the Real World
Appendices: A. One Example of a Strength-Based Assessment Outline. B. Questions to Assess Externalized Problems Rather Than Families. C. Considerations in Collaborative Therapy Contracts. D. An Interview Outline to Consolidate Alternative Stories. E. Coauthoring Termination/Consolidation Summaries with Clients.

About the Author

William C. Madsen, PhD, until his death in 2023, was Founder and Director of the Family-Centered Services Project in Watertown, Massachusetts, an organizational change initiative dedicated to helping state and provincial organizations and community agencies develop more respectful and responsive ways of serving youth and families. Dr. Madsen developed, administered, and consulted to many innovative programs. He provided international training and consultation regarding collaborative approaches to therapy and the development of institutional structures and organizational cultures that support family-centered work.

Reviews

'Too often therapy, like family life, can become problem-saturated, leaving clients and workers feeling overwhelmed and defeated. Madsen's strengths-oriented, collaborative approach addresses cultural and institutional constraints as it develops clients' potential to envision and realize more empowering life stories and possibilities. This book's clear, practical guidelines and case illustrations will be immediately useful for both beginning and seasoned therapists.' - "Froma Walsh, PhD, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, USA" 'Highly readable and brimming with ideas... Madsen provides a way of thinking about families that reflects narrative concepts and theories, coupled with practical steps and techniques designed to enhance and solidify therapeutic gains. Clinicians will welcome the many case examples as well as the specific, step-by-step guidance in such areas as therapeutic letter writing and report writing.' - "Rachel T. Hare-Mustin, PhD, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA " 'This second edition of Collaborative Therapy with Multi-Stressed Families couldn't be more timely. Why? It goes to the heart of the most venerable tradition of social work concern - providing services and support to families in crisis, in the face of diminished resources and continually shifting mandates. Simultaneously, the book provides practice guidance based on approaches that deeply engage postmodern scholarship and its implicit politics. Recently, social work as a profession has become dispirited. This book breathes new life into its moral and political foundations.' -" David Epston, MA, Family Therapy Centre, Auckland, New Zealand " 'Madsen offers a compassionate, attentive, slowed-down way of being in relation to families in urgent situations that embodies the deepest respect, care, appreciation, and enjoyment of them as full persons, rather than as narrowly described bearers of problems. This engaging book is essential reading for all mental health, social service, health, education, legal, and other professionals who work with families in distress. Like the previous edition, it will hold a central place in my doctoral-level course in family therapy.' - "Peter Fraenkel, PhD, Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, City College of the City University of New York, USA"