Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents in Crisis / edited by Nancy Boyd Webb; foreword by Lenore C. This fourth edition of Nancy Boyd Webb's Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents in Crisis offers us a whole new array of play modes to read and consider.
The book begins with a focus on the family and community environments in which young people live because of the critical importance of this social context to the nature of young people's responses in crises or traumatic situations. Evidence in the professional literature increasingly testifies to the influence of adults' responses to crises or trauma on the subsequent nature of children's responses.
Family and Community Contexts of Children and adolescents Facing Crisis or Trauma
The nature of the crisis or traumatic event is also taken into account, as this may have different effects on the type of support the young person receives. The cultural and religious backgrounds of different groups influence both the way a crisis or traumatic event is perceived and the nature of the response (McGoldrick, Giordano, & Garcia-Preto, 2005).
In fact, the likelihood of gene-related dysfunction or specific disorder is reduced without a trigger such as trauma or other adversity (Lau & Pine, 2008). Evidence suggests that treatments for simple PTSD may not be applicable to complex trauma or PTSD with comorbid disorders.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) has added attachment disorders to trauma and stressor-related disorders (TSRD), now a separate category from anxiety disorders as defined in DSM-IV (APA, 1994). Some of the symptoms of PTSD can mimic those of panic disorder, but PTSD symptoms are linked to the trauma.
Play Therapy to help symptomatic Children and adolescents after Crisis and Trauma
In addition, play therapy helps establish the treatment relationship and facilitates the therapist's diagnostic understanding of the child's problem. Play therapy with children who witnessed domestic violence has also been shown to be effective (Kot, Landreth, & Giordano, 1999; Tyndall-Lind, 2010). Play therapy with children who were refugees (mostly from war) was also found to be effective (Schottelkorb, Doumas, & Garcia, 2012).
However, further studies of play therapy need to be conducted in children in crisis and trauma. Play therapy is both an art and a science, depending on the skills and judgment of the therapist.
Crises and Trauma in The Family
Of these, 14.9 million were addicted to or abused alcohol; 4.5 million were addicted to or abused illegal drugs; and 2.8 million were addicted to or abused alcohol and illegal drugs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2012). Illicit drugs included marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens, and inhalants—as well as the nonmedical use of prescription psychotherapeutics, such as pain relievers (eg, OxyContin), tranquilizers (eg, Valium) , - tive (eg, Ambien) and stimulants (eg, Adderall). Additionally, 42.1 million people, or 18.1% of all adults, smoked cigarettes, accounting for one in five deaths in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
According to the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA, n.d.) one in four children under the age of 18 is affected by parental alcohol and/or drug use - a conservative number because it does not include children who do not live in households or who are homeless . Several research studies have shown that children of substance-abusing parents (COSAPs) are at high risk for a number of problems.
Children and Teens
It provides an overview of the dynamics of families with substance-abusing parents, the impact on their children at different ages, and evidence-based treatment approaches for children and their parents. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that many mothers, whether they have substance abuse problems themselves or not, tend to stay in relationships with substance abusing men. Parental substance abuse is one of the main reasons children enter the child welfare system (Barnard & McKeganey, 2004).
In addition, many COSAPs are at high risk for developing their own substance abuse and/or establishing their own substance-abusing family systems in adulthood. It is specifically designed for parents who have a history of substance abuse but are now in the early stages of recovery.
Child–Parent Psychotherapy
This chapter describes the course of treatment for a young child who witnessed her father physically abuse her mother. This family was seen at the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center, a program that provides developmentally trauma-focused counseling for young children and their parents who are exposed to violence. The chapter provides an overview of research and clinical findings on the impact of family violence on children, then focuses on assessment and intervention strategies as demonstrated in the detailed case example.
Domestic violence," also referred to as "intimate relationship violence," is defined as a pattern of behavior that incorporates a variety of abusive tactics—emotional, physical, and/or sexual—that result in one partner's coercive control over the other. . It is estimated that as many as 15 million children live in two-parent families where some form of intimate partner violence has occurred at least once in the past year, and that 7 million of these children live in homes where there is
I can never handle any relationship well, not even with my parents, my husband and my daughter.” When I asked more about her relationship with Cassie, Carolina expressed pride in her child, saying that when she wasn't "based on me," she was adorable, smart, outgoing, and loving. At the end of the session, I asked Carolina if she had talked to Cassie about the violence she had been subjected to. At one point, Cassie pretended to play with her mom and me, saying she was "the mom" and her mom and I were the "kids." She continued to "make" the toy food for us as her children and often scolded us for being "bad".
She excitedly asked, "Are all these babies for me?" When I commented that it was a little hard for her to believe that it was all for her to play with, she smiled widely and shouted, "Hooray!" She then "invited" her mother and me to play and gave us very explicit instructions that involved dressing the dolls and combing their hair. She was also able to help Cassie talk about what had happened – an essential step in facilitating Cassie's coping with the traumatic events.
Trauma‑Focused Cognitive‑Behavioral Therapy for Child Sexual Abuse and Exposure
Although there are signs of recent significant reductions in some forms of childhood victimization, including child sexual abuse (CSA) and exposure to domestic violence (DV), it is important to note that overall rates of these childhood traumas remain quite high (Finkelhor & Jones. After a short review of the potential effects of childhood exposure to CSA and DV, this chapter provides an overview of a treatment approach, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), which has been found to be highly effective in helping children overcome the consequences of such exposure (Cohen , Mannarino & Deblinger, 2006 ) The implementation of TF-CBT is presented in the form of a case study of a 15-year-old girl who experienced both CSA and DV.
The therapist then emphasized that Ashley's behavioral problems would be discussed, but the focus would be on Ms. The therapist explained that she would share (in a developmentally appropriate manner) what her grandmother was working on in therapy, and that she would also share some things with her. of Ashley's work with her grandmother in their separate individual sessions. The therapist shared Ashley's story with the grandmother during an individual session after identifying that Ms.
In this case, what psychoeducational information could the therapist have provided to Ashley and her grandmother about CSA and DV. How could the therapist have conducted therapy differently if Ashley's mother had also wanted to be involved.
This chapter discusses the impact of complex trauma resulting from multiple life events—such as attachment issues and separations, sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, and drug exposure in utero—that children in foster care and residential treatment systems experience. It also addresses how a therapist can use a prescriptive/integrative approach to treating such children, and how to understand the unique challenges children and caregivers face in dealing with such complex trauma. The term complex trauma describes both the exposure of children to multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature, and the far-reaching long-term impact of this exposure.
As this definition makes clear, complex trauma has serious consequences for attachment formation. In this chapter, I discuss play-based techniques that directly address the complex trauma caused by the loss of the biological parent(s), further ruptured attachments, and other subsequent abuse.
They usually begin early in life and can disrupt many aspects of the child's development and the very formation of a self. As they often occur in the context of the child's relationship with a caregiver, they disrupt the child's ability to form a secure attachment bond. The therapist must "pass" the child's tests by remaining firm and caring in the face of challenging behavior.
Once the activity is complete (usually after less than 5 minutes), I process the drawing with the child. I then process together with the child how the clay creation is very much like his or her life.
National trends show that the number of children in foster care may be leveling off, but there are clear changes in the racial and ethnic composition of the children (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, 2014). This results in the child returning to (or entering) foster care or placement with new adoptive parents. There are book chapters and articles that discuss clinical and research support for the use of play therapy with children in foster care (Bratton, Carne-Holt, & Ceballos, 2011; Clausen, Ruff, Von Wiederhold, & Heineman, 2012).
Review information describing the characteristics of children (age, ethnicity, placement, etc.) in the foster care system. As long as it takes: Relationship-based play therapy for children in foster care.
