Therapy is a critical element of work with abused children, offering them the opportunity to explore past experiences in a safe environment with the emotional support of a therapist. Reaching the Vulnerable Child offers a tried-and-tested model of integrated therapy that incorporates play and expressive arts to foster verbal, non-verbal and symbolic communication.
The authors describe how emotional, physical and sexual abuse impact on children’s development, and discuss attachment, separation, loss, and the effects of trauma on brain functioning. They provide practical guidance on preparing for sessions and creating safe therapeutic environments, and explain the importance of involving carers in the recovery process. Drawing on a wide range of techniques including play, movement, art, drama, music and therapeutic story work, this approach proposes methods for addressing guilt and low self-esteem, establishing trust and dealing with sexualized or aggressive behaviour.
This guide to working with abused children and young people will be valued by professionals and therapists from a range of backgrounds, including psychotherapists, play therapists and arts therapists, as well as those responsible for children’s services. It is an ideal accompaniment to The Child’s Own Story, also in the Delivering Recovery series.
Table of Content
Foreword, Mary Walsh, Co-founder and Chief Executive of SACCS. Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction: From Pain to Recovery: Therapy and the Integrated Model. 2. What is Sexual Abuse? 3. Blighted Lives, Hope Survives. 4. Trauma. 5. Attachment, Separation and Loss. 6. Therapy: Establishing the Framework. 7. The Search for Lost Boundaries: Therapy Tasks. 8. Themes in Therapy. 9. A Framework for Recovery Assessment. 10. Endings and New Beginnings. References. The Story of SACCS. The Authors. Subject Index. Author Index.
About the author
Janie Rymaszewska is Head of Therapy at SACCS. She has an MA in Creative Arts Therapy and is qualified in Play Therapy and Counselling Skills. She has worked therapeutically with children since 1991. Terry Philpot is author and editor of several books, including (with Anthony Douglas) Adoption: Changing Families, Changing Times. He co-authored with Richard Rose The Child’s Own Story, also in the Delivering Recovery series. He writes regularly for The Times Higher Education Supplement, The Tablet and other publications, and has won several awards for his journalism. He was formerly the editor of Community Care.
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