Not alone!

In the midst of the recent tragedy it's important to note that whatever this individual was going through, we need to understand that it was preventable. Proper mental health treatment is essential in dealing with children with severe mental and behavioral issues. There is a common misnomer that the only available treatment for children with severe issues is traditional counseling. While counseling is of great importance to the health of our society it is not enough for children or adolescents struggling with aggressive behaviors, either to self or others. Having worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings I know there is a huge difference in the types of services provided in both. To make it clear counseling in outpatient is much like anything outpatient, it's best when the situation is not critical but stable. It can either be seen as preventative or maintenance. When it's critical, i.e. when someone is exhibiting extreme aggressive behavior, suicidal ideation, or homicidal ideation, it is best that these be addressed in a treatment facility. Now there is a difference in acute hospitalization and sub-acute or residential treatment. Acute is the typical 5-10 day stay to stabilize. Usually when someone has SI (suicidal ideation) or HI (homicidal ideation). If during this time the symptoms subside they are discharged to regular outpatient counseling. If the symptoms persist they are recommended for longer treatment. Unfortunately for adults there is limited available residential treatment facilities for long term (but there are some). But there are many for children and adolescents. Some as short as 4 weeks, some as long as a year or more. This type of treatment includes not only typical therapy with a therapist, but medication management with a psychiatrist, regular group therapy, and other interventions deemed necessary to help the children be successful in gaining stability and improve their mental health.

For those parents who struggle on a daily basis with children or adolescents with severe emotional, mental, and behavioral issues... know you are not alone and that jail is not the only option out there. Your child can get the help he or she needs. You just have to reach out. If I can be of help, please let me know. I can get referrals for most states. Again, just let me know.

God Bless,

Jessica

Another great blog!

Love this blog! Note the different types of play therapy techniques.

http://flourishnthrive.wordpress.com/blogroll/

The Good-At Game

The “Good - At” Game

·      Source: “Digging for Buried Treasure: 52 Prop-based Play Therapy Interventions for Treating Problems in Children.” (Paris Goodyear-Brown, 2002)

·      Purpose: To increase overall self-esteem and practice making positive self-talk statements.

·      Treatment Modality: Good for individuals, groups, and families of all ages.

·      Materials needed: A can of play-doh for each participant. Treasures (glass stones, coins, colored baubles). Beads, cotton balls, etc. for face.

·      Implementation: Open a can of play-doh for each participant. Begin by telling the client to take a little chunk of the doh and put it aside. Roll the rest into a ball. Then press both thumbs into the middle (to begin to hollow out the center) and mold it into a shape that looks like a cup or a nest. The take the leftover doh (that was put aside) and place it in front of the client. Instruct the client to roll it into a ball and then flatten it into the shape of a pancake. Invite the client to create facial features for the flat circle of doh using stones, coins, etc. from the treasure chest. When the face is finished, have the client fill up the rest of the doh (shaped like cup or nest) with treasures. Put the lid/face on top of the cupped piece, covering up the treasures. The client has now created a rough play-doh person. The therapist points out that the play-doh person doesn’t look very interesting from the outside. Since you can’t tell a lot of about this person from the outside, she has to be opened up. She has to tell us about all the things that make her special. Model pulling out one treasure at a time from the play-doh person’s body while making a statement that begins with “I am good at…”. The therapist should model statements like “I am good at listening.” It is important that client begin to realize that skills and abilities that she may take for granted are part of what make her unique and special. The child or client then has a turn to make a “Good-At” statement for each of the treasures in his/her play-doh person.

·      Processing questions: What could you tell about the play-doh person from the outside? What was inside the play-doh person and how is that like the things inside you? Was it hard to think of things that you are good at? How did it feel to say nice things about yourself?

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Play Therapy Techniques and Tools!

Welcome!

Welcome to my play therapy page! While I do all types of therapy, I especially enjoy play therapy. This page is my idea playground. I look forward to sharing ideas as I gather and utilize them in practice. Please feel free to share your ideas as well. The field of play therapy is a continuous growing field and there will never be enough ideas to go around.

Jeska