Nonviolent Resistance in Trauma-Focused Practice A Systemic Approach to Therapy and Social Care

"Beyond offering a resourceful, creative, and effective approach for dealing with trauma, Peter Jakob's Nonviolent Resistance in Trauma-focused Practice presents a humanizing alternative to pathologizing and manualized approaches. His emphasis on possibilities, exceptional moments where carers and children have somehow avoided enacting their typical problematic patterns, and the creation of a caring community illustrate the power of NVR as practiced from a collaborative, relational stance. Complete with case examples and illustrations of method, Jakob's gives his readers a rich compendium of treatment resources the emphasize a socially just approach to trauma."

Sheila McNamee, PhD, Professor Emerita, University of New Hampshire, Co-Founder and VP, Taos Institute

"Peter Jakob is a bricoleur of ideas. With utmost and steadfast care he addresses difficult and distressing situations families and communities face in ways that reveal relational pathways out of despair into hope and justice. He draws together ideas from NVR, narrative therapy, social constructionism, philosophy, and systems theory to imaginatively respond to complex circumstances without over-simplification. Peter's voice and experience come through in the evocative examples and his storehouse of questions. Anybody who cares for families in any capacity must read this book."

Sally St. George and Dan Wulff, Professors Emerti, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

"Peter Jacob deserves commendation for skillfully integrating three prominent therapeutic approaches: narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and non-violent resistance. Through a diverse array of case studies, he adeptly navigates the reader through the process of cultivating profound empathy necessary for effectively engaging with the most challenging clients and families encountered in professional practice. This book is not one to be hastily consumed over a weekend; rather, its meticulous structure allows for thorough examination of each chapter at one's own pace and in a preferred sequence. "

Ben Furman, psychiatrist and solution-focused psychotherapist, Finland.

"Nonviolent resistance in trauma-focused practice is that rare book in which theory and practice do not merely inform each other but are presented, understood, and practiced as a unity. Jakob takes us into the world of troubled families mired in, sometimes violent, abuse, who have come to his therapy practice. In telling the family stories and their therapy stories, he shows us a uniquely respectful, humane, and hopeful conversational process. What comes through clearly in the dozens of case studies is how NVR transforms "resistance" into a humanely positive creation of new forms of relating to self and other."

Lois Holzman, PhD, Co-founder and Director, East Side Institute, NY USA

"We have an ethical responsibility for the way we speak about our clients. Deconstructing pathologizing language, Peter Jakob engages with the utmost respect for the traumatizing experiences of his clients in dialogical conversations that create space and give back the clients their own voice. He doesn't locate the problem in the person, not reifying it as a fixed identity. He combines the eco-systemic approach, engaging the larger system around the family, with NVR perspectives, caring and appreciative dialogues and compassionate and appreciative witnessing."

Jan Olthof, Psychotherapist, Author of The Handbook of Narrative psychotherapy, Trainer and supervisor in Family Therapy