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The Whole‐Brain Child: 12 Proven Strategies to Nurture Your Child's

Developing Mind D.J. Siegel & T.P. Bryson London: Constable and Robinson,
2012. pp. 192, £12.99 (pb). ISBN: 978‐...

Article  in  Child and Adolescent Mental Health · February 2014

DOI: 10.1111/camh.12053_6

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80
process, measurement, timing or evalua-
tion; nor is it clear for whom the guide
would be the most useful in practice.
Perhaps in the US there is more call for
this type of guide, whilst in the UK similar
information could perhaps be sought
from the NICE Guidance. Students in
mental health disciplines may find it a
useful read to develop the building blocks
of their theory and the text is certainly sci-
entifically thorough but they would need
to move on to other sources for more
detailed ‘how to guides’ specific to their
area of expertise.
Jade Smith
Clinical Psychologist, CAMHS, London
The Art and Science of Motivation:
A Therapist’s Guide to Working with
Children
J. Ziviani, A.A. Poulson & M.
Cuskelly (Eds)
London: Jessica Kingsley, 2013. pp.
294, £19.99 (pb). ISBN: 978-1-84905-
125-5.
Ten professionals, including occupational
therapists, researchers, social workers
and educators, contribute to this book,
with each of the eight chapters written by
at least two authors. The book is very
detailed and therefore one may feel over-
whelmed at times; however, it is organ-
ised in a way that dipping in and out of it
can be beneficial. Each chapter has an
overview, conclusion, additional tables
and other quickly identifiable pieces of
content, including authors’ examples to
link theory to practice.
The key theory and model that under-
pin the entire book are: Self Determina-
tion Theory (SDT) and The Synthesis of
Child Occupational Performance and
Environment-In Time (SCOPE-IT). The
style of writing is consistent across chap-
ters and each chapter links to the princi-
ples of the theory and model. Although
vignettes of practice are mentioned
throughout, the book ends with a more
detailed case study to help the reader
assimilate previous chapters in a more
specific focused way.
Many practitioners may have used prin-
ciples of the SDT and SCOPE-IT without
knowing it. Both the theory and model are
explained in great detail with clear refer-
ences to research and best practice. The
book will help practitioners look afresh at
key factors in creating and working in a
therapeutic relationship. The book demon-
strates that SDT and SCOPE-IT create a
solid framework for working with children,
with principles that would apply to adults.
In summary, I would recommend this
book for practitioners to explore in depth
the model and theory discussed, which
can have an impact on practice. The book
allows the principles to be applied in
many settings and for different profes-
sionals. There is only a limited amount
© 2014 The Authors. Child and Adolescent Mental Health. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
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Child Adolesc Ment Health 2014; 19(1): 79–80
dedicated to challenging scenarios and
more would have been welcomed. The
small selection of black and white photo-
graphs appear to be for entertainment
and create an image of an ideal world of
happy engaged and motivated children,
but reality is not always so. To conclude,
this book could be seen as a key text for
practitioners of all levels of experience.
Although there are phrases that some-
times (dare I say) seem like ‘common
sense’ in understanding factors that
influence children’s motivation, it is also
immensely professional in demonstrating
that motivation is indeed an art and a sci-
ence that should be learnt and under-
stood.
Anita Laidlaw
Plymouth Community Healthcare CIC
Young People and the Care
Experience: Research, Policy and
Practice
J. Shaw & N. Frost
London: Routledge, 2013. pp. 176,
£25.99 (pb). ISBN: 978-0-415-66526-1.
Book reviewing is like panning for gold, it
can be an unrewarding pastime but with
a few occasional nuggets. This book was a
good and interesting read. Its title
describes the contents well, but is unin-
spiring and I doubt I would have picked it
up if I hadn’t been asked to review it—the
book is more interesting than its title
would suggest.
The book is up to date with current pol-
icy and political frameworks and cites
recent evidence. I found it readable and
the relatively short chapters kept it
focused. It would serve as a good compre-
hensive introduction to those who need a
depth of knowledge quickly. I read it
shortly after the local government elec-
tions, and would recommend it to local
councillors taking on new portfolios
within children’s services. I had a sense
that any student needing a comprehen-
sive introduction would value the book.
The weakest chapter was on adoption
where the focus was more political and
around controversies in adoption. This
reflects recent changes in the adoption
arena but it was a missed opportunity to
consider issues of child welfare and adop-
tion that may be less than satisfactory if
not overtly controversial. Interestingly, it
doesn’t even reference mental health in
the index. However, throughout the book
it draws attention to the factors that can
cause or be associated with poor out-
comes for children and young people both
before and during their care experiences.
It does not seek to examine the causes or
direct remedies for poor mental health in
this diverse group of young people;
instead the book recognises the impact of
the abuse trauma and distress on chil-
dren and young people and looks in more
depth at the systemic issues, through an
examination of the history of and current
political circumstances of how services
are delivered. Overall it was concise, infor-
mative, relevant and up to date.
Lucy Morley
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust,
Nottingham
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Proven
Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s
Developing Mind
D.J. Siegel & T.P. Bryson
London: Constable and Robinson, 2012.
pp. 192, £12.99 (pb). ISBN: 978-1-
78033-837-8.
The whole-brain child, written by neuro-
scientist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting
expert Tina Payne Bryson, provides par-
ents with 12 strategies to engage and nur-
ture their child’s developing mind. The
authors draw on both their expertise and
experiences to provide a new perspective
on a child’s developing mind. The book is
written in a very approachable and read-
able manner. Through the 12 strategies
the book aims to ‘promote connection and
a deeper understanding’. The authors
have provided illustrations and examples
that parents can relate to throughout to
clarify and support the concepts and
strategies discussed.
The first strategy, ‘Connect and Redi-
rect’. focuses on the logical and emotional
brain. The importance of connecting and
integrating both the right emotional and
left logical sides of the child’s brain are
discussed, in order for the parent to
understand how to reason with the child
using their emotional understanding. The
strategies presented in this book are not
necessarily new ideas; the authors, simi-
lar to other parenting interventions, focus
on recognising the importance of valida-
tion and recognition of the child’s feelings,
listening and naming emotions however
reframed in the context of the brain.
Although the authors do refer to many
processes involved in the brain, this is
done in a way that is coherent and clear
for the reader to follow, linking them to
the context of the strategies presented.
For some readers this may be too simpli-
fied as the research behind these con-
cepts are not presented in this book.
This book is mainly aimed at the parent
or primary caregiver, but might also be
useful for those working within an educa-
tion or care setting. The strategies out-
lined draw parents to pay attention to the
‘every day’ experiences, making the 12
strategies very accessible for everyone to
use. The book is not specifically focused
to deal with children who may have
behavioural and/or mental health diffi-
culties; however the principles of the
strategies could be applied.
Claire Parker
PCMD, Exeter