Roger Lowe – författare

As the demand for comparative studies of leadership rises, managers and trainers are looking harder than ever for new studies to which trainees will not bring preconceived idea. This unique book delivers just that. Though the contexts have changed, the examination of ancient events from a business perspective provides a wealth of useful insights on how the process of leadership works. From China’s first emperor Liu Bang on vision and Pericles on integrity to Alexander the Great on communication and Ramesses II on courage, Leadership Lessons from the Ancient World combines history with business to show that the universal strategies used by great leaders of the past are still relevant today.

As the demand for comparative studies of leadership rises, managers and trainers are looking harder than ever for new studies to which trainees will not bring preconceived idea. This unique book delivers just that. Though the contexts have changed, the examination of ancient events from a business perspective provides a wealth of useful insights on how the process of leadership works. From China’s first emperor Liu Bang on vision and Pericles on integrity to Alexander the Great on communication and Ramesses II on courage, Leadership Lessons from the Ancient World combines history with business to show that the universal strategies used by great leaders of the past are still relevant today.

`I liked this book. Though I am not a family therapist, like most mental health nurses I try to bear in mind the family relationships of individuals I am working with. This is an enlightening text which not only offer a framework with which we can better understand the severe psychopathologies seen in forensic work, but also gives examples of how it may be used therapeutically' - Mental Health Practice

`I think this is an important book that crystallises complex theory into a user-friendly model, using case material and discussions from the therapeutic community. A must have for counsellors working with families, this will form part of the recommended reading on the Family Counselling course' - Barbara McKay, Relate Head of Training, Relate News

`The book provides a good overview of a number of recent approaches to working with families as well as how the author thinks about them' - Stephen Bray, Nurturing Potential

`Roger Lowe achieves the almost impossible task of bringing together various theories, techniques and case examples in clear and accessible ways. Readers of all disciplines, from front-line hard-pressed practitioners to students on therapy and social work courses, will be grateful for the simple and, above all, useful way he tackles the burning questions that arise in working with the family group. Highly recommended!' - Harvey Ratner, Brief Therapy Practice, London

Family Therapy introduces practitioners to the principles of using a constructive and collaborative approach with families. The approach builds on a strengths-based philosophy and focuses on enhancing family resilience and competence in a way that is both time-efficient and comprehensive. It brings together skills from contemporary models such as solution-focused, narrative and conversational therapies and adapts them to the specific challenges of working with family relationships. It is the first book to systematically integrate these influential approaches and apply them to family work.

Setting out a clear framework for practice, Roger Lowe describes the key tasks for the therapist as:

· hosting meetings

· negotiating concerns, and

· evoking family members' personal and relationship resources.

The framework is designed to be clear but flexible, and to allow practitioners to adapt it to their own situational needs. For example, it suggests ways for practitioners to selectively 'borrow' from other therapeutic models while retaining a constructive orientation. It also explores ways in which therapists can use their 'inner' conversation during a session as a tool to overcome obstacles to the therapeutic process. Although there is a common belief that the approach is only suited to brief interventions, the author also describes ways of working constructively over a longer period of time.

Throughout the book, case studies are included to show how the constructive framework is used in practice and to highlight a range of challenging situations that may be encountered during family therapy.

Roger Lowe's book provides a refreshingly different approach to working with families, which chimes with the growing interest in constructive approaches. It is written for trainees and for practitioners who are interested in developing their skills in this collaborative and optimistic approach.

No cell phones and electronics.Escape to a world of stories that feature a ghost, several snakes, a sinking canoe, peeing from a treetop, and more. Told by a fearless youngster that takes on every adventure without any thought of danger or injury.The signal from channel six out of Bluefield, West Virginia, made its way through the mountains to an aluminum antenna mounted on the housetop and into the black and white television in our living room.Despite this relatively new-fangled invention, a popular form of summertime entertainment consisted of family and friends gathering on somebody's porch. Along about dark—with dim light coming from a lamp left on inside—someone would start a story.  These were classic storytellers with all the voice inflection and body language that captures the attention and enthralls the listener.This collection is a written form of some of the verbal stories I have told many times. Escape…enjoy…smile a little. 25,000 words.

When the last straw breaks the camel's back, what's left to do? If no other option exists, murder can soothe the troubled mind. It has been said that vengeance is sweet. The characters in this collection of four stories appear normal by any measurement. But, they have stepped over the line, and each of them believes they were justified by doing so.     Meet the husband that gets a "e;we have your wife"e; phone call. He's confused because he knows exactly where she is.     What would you do if a very handsome, sweet-talking traveling preacher stopped by your homestead and asked to spend the night? And, what if you noticed him making eyes at your beautiful wife?      Next, meet the single mom that always needs a man. Unfortunately, it seems her daughter has the same feelings. Who wins?     What about the hunter in the Big Horn Mountains, braving a blizzard, numbing cold, and ravenous wolves. He's determined to take out the man that committed the ultimate abuse on his wife. That man is his brother.     Find out. Escape for a couple of hours and read about how someone else handled their problems.

The word frontier is defined a number of ways. I choose to think of a frontier as a place where a policeman cannot be found on every corner. No matter where this place exists, the citizen has to sometimes protect herself     Most of us think of ourselves as just ordinary and we admire those we perceive as heroes. However, heroes are nothing more than the ordinary person stepping out to somehow defend justice and honor.     This collection of stories depicts regular, everyday folks that stood tall whether they wanted to or not.Billy Bartou and the Voodoo Woman—What's an inexperienced 16-year-old boy supposed to do against a sheriff that has gone bad? Enlist the help of his aunt. After all, she knows a little about voodoo.Rain Along the Trail—Young Alice and her brother are travelling when they meet up with a sadistic rapist. She takes her brother and they run to the mountains. They run until she decides she doesn't like being chased.Christmas 1863—Two brothers decide they have had enough war and want to go home to see their mother. They decide to leave and head south. Was this the best decision they could have made?Two Marbles and a Key—Tells the story of a young soldier heading home after being released at Appomattox. He's a few days on the road when a young woman running from the three soldiers that killed her parents slips into his camp asking for help. She is carrying the answer to where some buried gold can be found. What does he do…after all it is three to one?The Quilt's Journey—A story about the kidnapping of a baby girl from her frontier home as told through the impressions of the quilt she is bundled in.Crazy Woman—The legends tell of a crazy woman that lived for a while on a creek in Wyoming. Crazy Woman Creek is named for her. While this story is totally fictitious, I write about the woman, but the heroine in my story is the old Indian woman that cares and tries to help her.

`I liked this book. Though I am not a family therapist, like most mental health nurses I try to bear in mind the family relationships of individuals I am working with. This is an enlightening text which not only offer a framework with which we can better understand the severe psychopathologies seen in forensic work, but also gives examples of how it may be used therapeutically′ - Mental Health Practice

`I think this is an important book that crystallises complex theory into a user-friendly model, using case material and discussions from the therapeutic community. A must have for counsellors working with families, this will form part of the recommended reading on the Family Counselling course′ - Barbara McKay, Relate Head of Training, Relate News

`The book provides a good overview of a number of recent approaches to working with families as well as how the author thinks about them′ - Stephen Bray, Nurturing Potential

`Roger Lowe achieves the almost impossible task of bringing together various theories, techniques and case examples in clear and accessible ways. Readers of all disciplines, from front-line hard-pressed practitioners to students on therapy and social work courses, will be grateful for the simple and, above all, useful way he tackles the burning questions that arise in working with the family group. Highly recommended!′ - Harvey Ratner, Brief Therapy Practice, London

Family Therapy introduces practitioners to the principles of using a constructive and collaborative approach with families. The approach builds on a strengths-based philosophy and focuses on enhancing family resilience and competence in a way that is both time-efficient and comprehensive. It brings together skills from contemporary models such as solution-focused, narrative and conversational therapies and adapts them to the specific challenges of working with family relationships. It is the first book to systematically integrate these influential approaches and apply them to family work.

Setting out a clear framework for practice, Roger Lowe describes the key tasks for the therapist as:

· hosting meetings

· negotiating concerns, and

· evoking family members′ personal and relationship resources.

The framework is designed to be clear but flexible, and to allow practitioners to adapt it to their own situational needs. For example, it suggests ways for practitioners to selectively ′borrow′ from other therapeutic models while retaining a constructive orientation. It also explores ways in which therapists can use their ′inner′ conversation during a session as a tool to overcome obstacles to the therapeutic process. Although there is a common belief that the approach is only suited to brief interventions, the author also describes ways of working constructively over a longer period of time.

Throughout the book, case studies are included to show how the constructive framework is used in practice and to highlight a range of challenging situations that may be encountered during family therapy.

Roger Lowe′s book provides a refreshingly different approach to working with families, which chimes with the growing interest in constructive approaches. It is written for trainees and for practitioners who are interested in developing their skills in this collaborative and optimistic approach.