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This contribution to the literature on the psychotherapy of children is, in fact, a comprehensive treatise on the subject. It presents, in clear and concise language, and in step-by-step progression, the theoretical and technical foundations on which a disciplined and effective psychotherapy of children can be carried out. While
aimed primarily at those who have recently decided on a career of treating children, its level of sophistication in the more complex and thorny problems of diagnosis and treatment of difficult cases makes it a valuable reference source for the experienced therapist as well. The book furnishes the beginner those essential elements on the subject of children, involving their development, both normal and aberrant, which he or she must command in order to achieve an acceptable level of competence in the field of child psychotherapy. Coppolillo's long experience as theoretician and teacher is here distilled, in a felicitous and well-organized form, into the art and discipline of treating the child in psychological distress.
The volume is divided into five sections, each section in turn being divided into three or four chapters. The beginning sections are concerned with establishing an appropriate physical setting and psychological atmosphere conducive to treatment and affording minimal interferences to the development of a therapeutic relationship. Coppolillo proposes the idea of an explicit verbal contract with the child so that the child can be given a "fair and honest description of the relationship" at the outset. He acknowledges that this contract may have little meaning to the child at such an early phase of the treatment, but suggests that in order to facilitate and maintain the therapeutic alliance, the therapist should return at appropriate moments to the discussion of the initial agreement. Coppolillo's contractual points are especially pertinent for the new child therapist, and they serve as useful reminders for experienced cl