Blogging on Good Therapy

A GoodTherapy.org News Update

If you are the parent of a teen or have a teen in your life, then you are surely familiar with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and countless other social networking sites where teens congregate. These sites have become a “virtual playground” where anonymous teens engage in vicious bullying without even leaving the house. The bullying isn’t limited to the internet though. Teens are being harassed by peers via cell phone text messages also. The internet offers anonymity and allows bullies to engage in behavior that would not be socially acceptable in a public forum. Sadly, the tragic story of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after enduring cyber-bullying, is an example of seriousness of this issue. Megan’s death brought to light the need for laws to hold cyber bullies responsible for their actions. In fact, this phenomenon has challenged many states (Texas, New Jersey, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, and New York) to establish laws to deal with cyber-bullying issues. There is even a non-profit foundation dedicated to educating young people about internet safety: i-SAFE Inc. Parents need to be encouraged to talk with their teens about cyber-bullying and monitor what their teen is doing online.

An equally disturbing trend is the physical attacks of peers teens are videotaping for broadcast on the internet. Not only does a victim suffer physical pain, he/she now must undergo endless humiliation as the beating is played over and over again on popular sites such as YouTube for thousands to see. There is a boomerang effect wherein the initial incident becomes fodder for hallway gossip at school, furthering the humiliation for the victim. In an interview with People magazine for a story about a video beating of a Florida teen, Dr. James Garbarino (author of several books on teen violence) stated, “Violence tends to become depersonalized when it’s on the Internet.”

The problems arising from cyber-bullying include teen suicide, school violence, and depression. Therapists who work with teens need to be educated about cyber-bullying and prepared to help teens work through these problems. Additionally, some focus is needed on identifying and treating the cyber bullies themselves.

By Lori Payne, LPC-S Click here to contact Lori and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

©Copyright 2008 by GoodTherapy.org All Rights Reserved. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Lori and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

By Arthur Becker Weidman, Ph.D

Click here to contact Art and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Parents must find a way to enjoy time with their child before they can end defiant behavior. Four year old Sarah throws temper tantrums, won’t go to bed, refuses to take a bath, and is described by her parents as “hell on wheels.” Peter, age seven, won’t take his dishes into the, kitchen or perform other simple household chores. Thirteen year old David stays up past his bed time, argues with, his parents about everything, and has begun skipping school. His parents just don’t know what to do. Do any of these children sound familiar? If so, you may know an oppositional and defiant child. Children who have spent years waiting for a family, whether in foster care in this country or in an orphanage abroad, sometimes learn negative behavior to survive. Acting out, they find, is a way to attract attention in an institution or foster home. They may then carry this behavior with them to a new home.
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by Jaelline Jaffe, PhD

Click here to contact Jaelline and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

There is an old Chinese proverb: “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand.” Kids are often visual and kinesthetic learners. Talking at them, or even with them, is usually not nearly as effective as getting them involved in something concrete, before going to the abstract.

In conducting a counseling program for adolescents, I hear an unfortunate number of them talk about their lives as if they are over. This girl feels like a failure because she doesn’t have a boyfriend. That boy is drinking and using heavily. Those over there are running with a tagging crew or a gang. Some cannot imagine living to age 25.

Because so many kids are stronger in visual and kinesthetic intelligences than in verbal or mathematical, I find it is much easier to connect with them and to get an idea across if they can see it and experience it, than if they just hear it. In group or individually, I ask them, “Who is the oldest person in your family?” or “How old was your grandpa when he died?” The answer usually is around 75. (more…)

For adolescents with depression not responding to an initial treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI; a class of antidepressant drugs), switching medications and adding cognitive behavioral therapy resulted in an improvement in symptoms, compared to just changing medications, according to a study in the February 27 issue of JAMA. (more…)

by Arthur Becker-Weidman, Ph.D.

Click here to contact Arthur and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile.

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy is a treatment approach to trauma, neglect, loss, and/or other dysregulating experiences that is based on principles derived from Attachment Theory and Research.

Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy involves creating a safe setting in which the client can begin to explore, resolve, and integrate a wide range of memories, emotions, and current experiences, that are frightening, stressful, avoided or denied. Safety is created by insuring that this exploration occurs with nonverbal attunement, reflective non judgmental dialogue, along with empathy and reassurance. As the process unfolds, the client is creating a coherent life story or autobiographical narrative which is crucial for attachment security and is a strong protective factor against psychopathology. Therapeutic progress occurs within the joint activities of co regulating affect and co constructing meaning.

Nonverbal attunement refers to the frequent interactions between a parent and infant, in which both are sharing affect and focused attention on each other in a way such that the child’s enjoyable experiences are amplified and his/her stressful experiences are reduced and contained. This is done through eye contact, facial expressions, gestures and movements, voice tone, timing and touch. These same early attachment experiences, which are fundamental for healthy emotional and social development, are utilized in therapy to enable to the client to rely on the therapist to regulate emotional experiences and to begin to understand these experiences more fully. Such understanding develops further through engaging in a conversation about these experiences, without judgment or criticism. The therapist will maintain a curious attitude about the memories and behaviors, encouraging the client to explore them to better understand their deeper meanings in his life and gradually develop a more coherent life story. This process may be stressful for the client, so the therapist will frequently “take a break” from the work, provide empathy for the negative emotion that may be elicited, and reassure the client about his efforts and the therapeutic relationship.

The primary therapeutic attitude demonstrated throughout the sessions is one of playfulness, acceptance, empathy and curiosity (PACE). (more…)

written by Shari McEnery, LMHC

Click here to contact Shari and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile

We spend a great deal of time as new parents making sure that we are up to date on the latest medical wonders and vaccines. We make sure that our little ones are at every physical, ensuring that they are reaching their milestones every step of the way. If our child is sick, we don’t hesitate to call the doctor. There are medicines to help soothe the ache or pain, to help cure it or to even prevent it. Chances are your cabinet has at least two of the three in it right now. However, many parents don’t have any information at all about what to do with their child’s emotional health needs. (more…)

GoodTherapy.org maintains a list of psychotherapy & counseling approaches for the purpose of informing people about different forms of therapy. We’re currently updating this list of therapy models and we’ve just finished our update to Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is an empirically supported treatment for conduct-disordered young children that places emphasis on improving the quality of the parent-child relationship and changing parent-child interaction patterns. You can view the update to our section on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and/or view our entire list of psychotherapy & counseling models . Enjoy :)

Written by Jared Maloff Psy.D.

Click here to contact Jared and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Parenting has often been referred to as life’s most difficult job, and it seems as though in recent years, this job has become increasingly more rigorous. Technological developments in recent years have given rise to novel methods for children and adults to access information. Many of these advancements are aimed specifically at the youth culture, though are responsible for a gradual transformation of the entire culture at large. Adults however, often seem a step slow in recognizing the magnitude that these new innovations will have upon all of our lives and the lives of today’s children.

In the United States in general, but especially here in Los Angeles, the media is extremely influential in our lives. Today, given the meteoric rise in the accessibility of new technology, more information is currently available for public consumption than at any other time in history. Children and adolescents are especially impressionable and often crave what Heinz Kohut termed “selfobjects” in order to help cope with the psychological rigors of youth. This hunger for connection to someone or something that feels bigger than one’s self is a normal psychological process, however in today’s media dominated culture in Los Angeles, pre-teens and adolescents seem especially vulnerable to potentially destructive influences… (more…)

Written by Peg Dunn-Snow Ph.D. ATR-BC, LPAT, LMHC, NCC

In 1992 after Hurricane Andrew hit south Florida on August 24, 1992 I contributed to an article a list of art activities that children could do at home to help them process their thoughts and feelings after their hurricane experience that year.  The activities are still relevant today, but not only as a way to process a hurricane experience but to prepare for one by taking a more proactive approach. The activities in the original article were listed and categorized under the following headings. (more…)

Written by By Helen Boy, MSW, LICSW, LADC

Grief is a natural response to loss.  Children, like adults, grieve when someone close to them dies or they experience other types of loss.  Children also may grieve when they lose a friend or a pet, move to a new home or school, or experience sexual abuse. The duration and intensity of grief are unique for each child.  With support, children usually have the capacity to integrate grief in their lives if the environment provides acceptance, compassion and safety.

How do children express grief?

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Written by Mitchell Milch, LCSW

Click here to contact Mitchell and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

Let’s face it, we all want to avoid making the same mistakes raising our kids we believe our parents or surrogate parents made raising us. This is especially the case when we still hold grudges toward parents for what has or has not become of us. Under this historical cloud, we know yet may not admit to the old adage: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” What this adage speaks to is the IMPOSSIBILITY of NEVER being like the parents we recall as having “screwed us up.” As much as we swear that we will never treat our kids the way we were treated, the moments inevitably arise when we sound and act like our parents. This is human nature. We will on occasion, identify and repeat the most noxious and self defeating parenting practices employed by our parents. (more…)

Written by Kent Toussaint, MA, LMFT

Click here to contact Kent and/or see his GoodTherapy.org Profile

One day, you go into your son’s room and to your surprise, you find that missing can of whipped cream under his bed.  You think to yourself, “That’s odd.”

Out of your daughter’s backpack falls the can of paint thinner you used three years ago when you remodeled the kitchen and has since been sitting out in the garage among the other discarded tools and supplies.  You then ponder, “Is she in art class this semester?”

If something like this has happened to you, your kid may very well be abusing inhalants.  If he is, he’s in danger of not only destroying his mind and body but he could also die.

What are inhalants?

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Written by Nancy Poitou, M.A., M.F.T., C.T.S.

Self Esteem is a word often used in connection with good mental health, but rarely is it explained how we get poor self esteem and how we cultivate good self esteem. Good self esteem means to hold oneself in high esteem, feeling worthy of a good life and good treatment by others. Good self esteem helps protect children from the traps they are exposed to growing up in our modern society. (more…)

Written by Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD

As summer draws to a close you may be relieved to have all your children’s school supplies and clothes ready, but have you done all you can to prepare them for everything they face at school?

Now, on the heels of the Catholic Priest sexual abuse scandal comes another of historic proportions—one that has the potential to be much greater and far-reaching. According to a draft report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education, in compliance with the 2002 “No Child Left Behind” act signed into law by President Bush, between 6 and 10 percent of public school children across the country have been sexually abused or harassed by school employees and teachers. (more…)