Understanding and Treating the Aggression of Children Fawns in Gorilla Suits
, by Crenshaw, David A.; Mordock, John B.Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
- ISBN: 9780765705617 | 0765705613
- Cover: Paperback
- Copyright: 10/16/2007
Understanding and Treating the Aggression of Children: Fawns in Gorilla Suits provides a thorough review of the theoretical and research basis of the techniques and interventions in the treatment of aggressive and sometimes violent children. This is not a dry and sterile academic review but rather one that comes from work directly in the therapy room with thousands of hurting and in many cases traumatized children. One cannot read this book without being deeply moved and touched by the pain of these children and yet also be buoyed by their courage and willingness to persevere against formidable barriers.
David Crenshaw, Ph.D., is the founding director of Rhinebeck Child and Family Center, LLC in Rhinebeck, New York
Preface | p. XV |
Fawns in Gorilla Suits | p. 1 |
Their Invisible Wounds | p. 5 |
Environmental Triggers | p. 7 |
Developmental Failures and Invisible Wounds | p. 11 |
Trust versus Mistrust | p. 12 |
Early Separations | p. 14 |
Unsolvable Fear | p. 15 |
Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt | p. 16 |
The Role of Shame | p. 17 |
Initiative versus Guilt | p. 21 |
Mutuality versus Alienation | p. 21 |
Industry versus Inferiority | p. 22 |
Learned Voicelessness | p. 22 |
Profound and Unacknowledged Losses | p. 23 |
Disenfranchised Grief | p. 23 |
The Complicated Grief of Reluctant Mourners | p. 24 |
Loyalty Conflicts | p. 25 |
Delayed or Distorted Grief Reactions | p. 26 |
The Crisis of Connection | p. 28 |
Dehumanized Loss | p. 29 |
New Findings from Neuroscience: Implications for Treatment | p. 32 |
The Brain Is Experience Dependent | p. 35 |
Constant Alarm State | p. 35 |
Emotional Memory | p. 36 |
Violence Exposure, Brain Abnormalities, and Body Chemistry | p. 37 |
Important Gender Differences | p. 38 |
Implications for Therapy | p. 40 |
Social Skills Training | p. 42 |
The Crucial Capacity for Empathy | p. 43 |
Lack of Empathy for the Self | p. 45 |
Some Empathy Training Programs | p. 46 |
Roots of Empathy | p. 46 |
The Second Step Program | p. 47 |
The Dina Dinosaur Program | p. 47 |
Conclusion | p. 47 |
The Psychodynamics of Gorilla-Suit Wearers | p. 50 |
Emptiness and the Quest for Possessions | p. 54 |
Troubled by a Primitive Conscience | p. 54 |
Seekers of Punishment | p. 56 |
The Therapist's Needs | p. 56 |
Risk Factors When Treating the Traumatized Child | p. 60 |
Arousal of Strong Emotions | p. 61 |
Diversion from More Pressing Problems | p. 66 |
Increasing Self-Blame | p. 67 |
Cementing a Deviant Self-Image | p. 69 |
The Male Therapist and the Female Victim | p. 70 |
Abuse-Reactive Play | p. 73 |
Reenactment Play | p. 74 |
Symbolic Sexual Play | p. 75 |
Overidentification with the Child | p. 76 |
Some Special Considerations When Treating Children in Foster Care | p. 79 |
Protest, Despair, Denial, and Apathy | p. 80 |
Misconceptions about Separation | p. 83 |
Loyalty Conflicts | p. 84 |
Splitting | p. 85 |
Exaggerated Importance | p. 86 |
Emphasize the Positive Qualities of Natural Parents | p. 88 |
Visitations: Anxious Reunions | p. 91 |
Attitudes about Foster Parents | p. 92 |
A Caution about Therapy with Children in Foster Homes | p. 95 |
Strengthening Relationships with Parents: Identifying the Parents' Struggles | p. 96 |
How the Natural Parents Feel | p. 99 |
Unfulfilled Dependency Needs: I Long to Be Loved | p. 103 |
Generational Patterns | p. 103 |
Need tor Nurturing | p. 103 |
Marital Discord and Triangles | p. 104 |
Flight from Stress | p. 104 |
Poor Self-Concept: I Am Plagued by Self-Doubts | p. 105 |
Marked Feelings of Incompetence | p. 105 |
Their Child Is a Challenge to Their Ideal Self-Concept | p. 106 |
Self-Hate and Child-Hate | p. 106 |
Children Seen as Monsters | p. 106 |
They Punish Rather Than Prohibit | p. 107 |
Bonding Failure: I Never Felt Close to My Child | p. 107 |
Disturbed Identity Formation: I Don't Know Who I Am | p. 108 |
Cognitive Immaturity: I Am the Center of All Things | p. 108 |
Belief in Cultural Myths That Lead to Unrealistic Expectations | p. 109 |
Belief in Cultural Myths about Strong Punishment | p. 110 |
Chaotic Lifestyle: If I Change Circumstances, My Life Will Improve | p. 110 |
Denied Affects: Nothing I Do Is Fun | p. 111 |
Socially Isolated: I Feel All Alone | p. 111 |
Eliciting Their Cooperation | p. 111 |
Strengthening Relationships with Parents: Helping Parents to Be More Effective | p. 113 |
Style of Intervention | p. 114 |
Emphasize Collaboration | p. 114 |
Be Accessible and Dependable | p. 115 |
Initial Phases of Counseling | p. 116 |
Accept the Parents Where They Are | p. 116 |
Reduce Demands on Parents to Achieve Control of the Child | p. 118 |
Avoid Initiating Family Interactions That Create Additional Conflict | p. 119 |
Respect Their Current Methods of Maintaining Psychological Equilibrium | p. 120 |
Use Life Cycle Explanations to Reduce Self-Blame | p. 121 |
Confront the Unrealistic Self-Ideal | p. 121 |
Acknowledge Their Good Parenting Efforts | p. 122 |
Encourage Self-Love and New Forms of Gratification | p. 123 |
Middle-Phase Strategies | p. 123 |
Set Firm Limits on Their Behavior | p. 123 |
Change the Position of the Husband-Father in the Family | p. 125 |
Examine Biological Factors | p. 125 |
The Later Phases | p. 126 |
Help Parents Sort Out Intergenerational Patterns and Conflicts | p. 126 |
Gradually Turn Over Executive Powers to the Parents | p. 127 |
Be Patient and Wait for a Trigger Event | p. 128 |
Be Prepared to Use Power Tactics to Reduce Ambivalence | p. 130 |
Set Realistic Goals Based on a Thorough Ongoing Family Assessment | p. 132 |
Efforts to Change Disciplinary Practices | p. 133 |
Conclusion | p. 134 |
Strengthening Relationships with Direct-Care and Instructional Staff | p. 136 |
Creating Dependable Relationships with Others | p. 138 |
Protection and Rescue | p. 139 |
Avoiding Loss of Face | p. 140 |
The Use of I-Messages | p. 141 |
Limiting Punishments | p. 142 |
Physical Interventions | p. 143 |
Predictable Prohibitions | p. 145 |
A Word about Behavior Modification Programs | p. 145 |
Helping Children Talk about Their Frustrations | p. 146 |
First: Give Them Space | p. 146 |
Second: Help Them Become Calm | p. 148 |
Third: Talk to Them after They Have Made Progress in the Milieu | p. 150 |
Get to the Root of the Problem | p. 150 |
Some Practical Obstacles | p. 152 |
Broadten the List of "Do's" | p. 153 |
Recognize Strengths | p. 154 |
Expanding Concrete Skills | p. 157 |
Clarifying Intention and Motivation | p. 158 |
Getting Assistance | p. 159 |
Signs of Improvement | p. 160 |
The Positive Effects of Support | p. 161 |
Conclusion | p. 161 |
Developing Maturo Defenses and Calming Skills | p. 163 |
The Mechanisms of Defense | p. 166 |
The Primitive Defenses | p. 167 |
The More Mature Defenses | p. 171 |
Supporting Rather Than Confronting Defenses | p. 174 |
Rewarding Mature Defenses | p. 178 |
Minimizing Frustrations: A Prerequisite for Developmental Advancement | p. 180 |
Encouraging Sublimation and Reaction Formation | p. 182 |
Calming Techniques | p. 183 |
Therapeutic Use of the Child's Defenses | p. 184 |
Conclusion | p. 187 |
Creating a Therapeutic Milieu for Traumatized Children | p. 188 |
Elements of an Ego-Strengthening Approach | p. 189 |
Helping Children to Feel Empowered | p. 190 |
Respecting Their Need for Privacy | p. 191 |
Making the Children Feel Safe and Creating Safety Nets | p. 192 |
Building True Self-Esteem | p. 195 |
Helping with Trauma Reenactment | p. 197 |
Conclusion | p. 200 |
Fostering Hope and Resilience | p. 201 |
Resist the Pull into Hopelessness | p. 203 |
Hopes and Dreams and Efforts to Survive | p. 203 |
The Fight to Maintain Hope amid the Struggle to Survive | p. 204 |
Validate Their Strengths, Talents, and Redeeming Qualities | p. 205 |
Seeing Virtue in Children at Their Worst Moments | p. 206 |
Conveying Profound Respect | p. 208 |
Punctuate Their Giving | p. 209 |
What Can Be Learned from Studies on Resilience? | p. 211 |
Spiritual Faith and Positive Philosophy of Life | p. 211 |
Facilitate Positive Thinking, Mood, and Meaning | p. 212 |
Children Are Not Doomed by Their Early Experiences | p. 215 |
Developing a Sense of a Positive Future | p. 217 |
A Letter from the Future | p. 219 |
Conclusion | p. 222 |
Past and Present Prevention and Intervention Services and Some Suggested Modifications | p. 223 |
What We Learned from Earlier Efforts at Prevention | p. 225 |
Prevention and Early Interventions Need to Be Broad Based | p. 226 |
The Perry Preschool Program | p. 226 |
Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) | p. 227 |
Nurse-Family Partnership | p. 228 |
The Bullying Prevention Program | p. 229 |
Functional Family Therapy (FFT) | p. 231 |
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) | p. 233 |
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) | p. 234 |
The Fast Track Prevention Program | p. 235 |
The Center for Children, Families, and Trauma | p. 236 |
The School-Based Mourning Project | p. 237 |
The Need for Empathy Training in Early Intervention Programs | p. 238 |
Principles of Effective Family-Focused Interventions | p. 241 |
Why Public Schools Experience Difficulty Developing Intervention Programs | p. 242 |
Intervention Programs Anyone Can Offer | p. 244 |
Boston's Operation Ceasefire | p. 245 |
Mental Health Professionals in Clinics | p. 246 |
On a Much Smaller Scale | p. 247 |
Conclusion | p. 249 |
Bibliography | p. 251 |
Index | p. 285 |
About the Authors | p. 295 |
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