Abstract
Adolescents in therapeutic residential treatment can, at times, be a difficult population to treat. This chapter outlines how letters can be effectively used to promote change within the individual and family. The effective use of therapeutic letter writing results in both the adolescent and parent being more open to change and motivates them to work on their part of the system that sustains the problem. Descriptions of types of therapeutic letters are provided, along with a rationale for the use of letter writing as an intervention when working with families within which an adolescent is in residential treatment. Methods are also outlined for holding parents accountable for their behaviors when necessary and helping them to change their approach to working with their child. The goal of this type of letter writing for adolescents and families is to learn and execute effective communication during difficult situations, which should help them to contain negative interactions.
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Christenson, J.D., Runkel, A.L. (2017). The Use of Letters to Create Movement in Residential Settings with Adolescents and Their Parents. In: Christenson, J., Merritts, A. (eds) Family Therapy with Adolescents in Residential Treatment. Focused Issues in Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51747-6_2
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