This book offers speech and language therapists, and other allied health professionals, a practical resource for working in a distinctive way with children and young people, and their parents, to achieve their ‘best hopes’ from therapy. The authors share a wealth of knowledge and experience from the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering about how they use Solution Focused Brief Therapy to enhance their practice. This resource manual:

• Provides a step-by-step guide to starting solution-focused conversations, having follow-up meetings, drawing attention to what’s working, and ending well.
• Illustrates work with a broad range of clients who stammer, including clients with additional physical, learning, and emotional needs.
• Demonstrates the benefits of working systemically with children and young people and their parents or carers.
• Supports therapists to develop skills in working collaboratively with clients on what they want to achieve from therapy.
• Gives examples of how to ask helpful questions and have hope-filled conversations.
• Considers the benefits and challenges of working in a solution-focused way.
• Describes how to adapt solution-focused conversations according to the client’s age and stage.
• Presents a range of applications of SFBT including in groups and in clinical supervision.

The manual is illustrated by a rich variety of case examples which brings the material to life and enables the reader to apply the principles to their own setting. It is an essential practical resource for therapists hoping to develop their skills in empowering parents and in supporting children and young people towards living their best life.