If you’re interested in this topic and want to find out more, you might like to see the on-demand CPD videos we have on this same subject. You can see our video library on this topic over on our sister site Therapy Education Online (ThEO).

In this blog, we have collected a wide range of books related to working with children and young people therapeutically. We also wanted to share Jeanine Connor‘s books, who will be running the next BTP workshop in February.

Learn more about this topic in our online CPD workshop: Working with Young People: Theory and Therapy with Jeanine Connor on February 28th 2025, 10am – 4pm.

Jeanine Connor – psychodynamic psychotherapist, author and clinical supervisor will running the next BTP workshop *Working with Young People: Theory and Therapy* on February 28th.

1. You’re Not My F*cking Mother: And other things Gen Z say in therapy (2024)

Jeanine Connor uses this book of vivid portraits of life inside her therapy room to help us understand exactly how tough modern life is on young people, and perhaps toughest on the generation whose adolescence and early adulthood has been indelibly marked by Brexit, the Covid-19 lockdowns, war in Europe, economic recession and the mixed blessings of social media.

Beneath the looming shadow of the impacts of climate change, Gen Z, the so-called zoomers, are hanging onto the rails on a rollercoaster ride through the social, economic, environmental and political chaos of modern life, and their mental health is suffering. More here or click to purchase.

2. Reflective Practice in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy: Listening to Young People (2020)

Jeanine Connor’s book is based on her work with children, young people and families over two decades, and shares reflections from the therapy room and illustrates how the therapist can try to make sense of mood, behaviour and presentations that previously made no sense.

The content relies heavily on clinical experience as well as drawing on classical and contemporary psychotherapeutic literature. More here or click to purchase.

3. A Therapeutic Treasure Box for Working with Children and Adolescents with Developmental Trauma: Creative Techniques and Activities (2017)

Dr Karen Treisman’s bestselling resource overflows with valuable treasures – information, ideas and techniques to inspire and help you in supporting children who have experienced relational and developmental trauma. She explains how to understand trauma and its impact on children, teens and their families. She shows how it can be seen in symptoms such as nightmares, sleeping difficulties, emotional dysregulation, rage, and outbursts.

Trusted guidance is followed by a treasure trove of practical, creative, and ready-to-use resources including over 100 illustrated worksheets and handouts, top tips, recommended sample questions, and photographed examples. More here or click to purchase.

4. Counselling Young People: A Practitioner Manual (2017)

Rebecca Kirkbride’s book, grounded in the BACP’s competencies for working with young people, is vital reading for anyone taking a working with young people course, or practitioner’s looking to broaden their understanding of working with young people, using evidence-based psychological intervention.

The book covers therapeutic models for counselling young people, as well as practical skills and strategies for counselling young people, and ethical and legal issues in working with this age group. More here or click to purchase.

5. Counselling Adolescents: The Proactive Approach for Young People (2019)

Kathryn Geldard, David Geldard, and Rebecca Yin Foo’s bestselling book, now in it’s 5th edition, is a definitive guide to counselling adolescents that has introduced thousands of trainees and practitioners to the theory, principles, skills and techniques of proactively counselling this client group. With over 4 hours of online resources, this multi-disciplinary book uses case studies and examples to demonstrate how a diversity of needs requires a diversity of approaches and skills through a variety of settings.

It is essential reading for trainees and practitioners in counselling, social work, the allied health professions and education. More here or click to purchase.

6. Stop F*cking Nodding: And other things 16-year-olds say in therapy (2022)

Jeanine Connor’s second is written for psychotherapists, parents, teachers and anyone who has an interest in how the teenage mind works. Jeanine draws on her 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist specialising in children and young people to paint vivid vignettes of some of the 16-year-olds she has worked with.

These nine stories capture and explore the key themes and challenges in this demanding and rewarding work: sex, gender, identity, body image, self-esteem, depression, loneliness, difference, loss and despair. But also the humour, quirkiness and mercurial charm of her young clients, brought to life through frank dialogue, deft description and quick-fire repartee. More here or click to purchase.

7. Key Theories and Skills in Counselling Children and Young People: An Integrative Approach (2021)

Rebecca Kirkbride provides a highly accessible, skills focused entry point to the interventions, techniques, strategies, and core knowledge you need to work with children and young people. The book is divided into four parts that cover (a) Core Knowledge: Understanding Development from 0-18 years, (b) Key Skills: The Therapeutic Process, (c) Key Skills: Interventions, Techniques & Strategies, and (d) Key Considerations: Contexts & Client Groups. More here or click to purchase.

We also have a ThEO video based on this book that you can watch here.

8. Therapy with Children and Young People: Integrative Counselling in Schools and other Settings (2013)

Colleen McLaughlin and Carol Holliday address the practice of child therapy in school settings in a unique level of detail. The authors adopt a broad ecosystematic, integrative approach that considers the influence of family, school and the wider community, placing emphasis on significant development and attachment issues. More here or click to purchase.

9. Dibs in Search of Self: Personality Development in Play Therapy (2022)

Virginia M. Axline classic narrative, originally published in 1964, remains a powerful story of the impact of play therapy over a series of sessions with a young boy named Dibs. When renowned psychotherapist Virginia Axline first encountered Dibs at his New York School, he was a little boy lost to the world. He would not talk. He would not play. He sat alone, defying every attempt at interaction. Axline was the last resort.

This is her seminal account of how, through weekly play therapy sessions over the course of one year, Dibs’s extraordinary character, and the reason for his silent withdrawal, were gradually revealed. More here or click to purchase.

10. Person-Centred Therapy with Children and Young People (2013)

David Smyth’s popular book from 2013 develops a child-centred therapy theory and practice, applying the model to real-life practice with children and young people, whether in play, school, organisations or with special needs groups.

It also explores the complex professional issues so critical with this age group, including challenging boundaries, establishing an effective relationship with parents and other primary carers, legal and ethical considerations, and multi-professional practice. More here or click to purchase.

11. The Handbook of Counselling Children & Young People (2018)

Editors Maggie Robson and Sue Pattison have brought together a number of expert authors from a wide range of backgrounds to highlight the fundamentals of counselling practice with children and young people. Now in it’s second edition it covers all you need to know about theory and practice approaches, the counselling process, and practice issues and settings. More here or click to purchase.

12. Psychodynamic Counselling with Children and Young People: An Introduction (2009)

Sue Kegerreis has written a hugely popular text as part of the “Basic Texts in Counselling and Psychotherapy” series that introduces key psychodynamic theory, concepts and techniques, this text examines the challenges and opportunities of counselling adolescents and children.

The book explores a wide variety of settings and contexts, from schools to community projects and mental health services. It is an invaluable guide for counsellors and therapists at all levels. More here or click to purchase.

Upcoming Workshop with Jeanine Connor

Want to explore more? Join us for our upcoming workshop – Learn more about this topic in our online CPD workshop: Working with Young People: Theory and Therapy with Jeanine Connor on February 28th 2025, 10am – 4pm.

This presentation will feature an exploration of the myriad challenges that face young people and how we might support them best in our work.

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