Therapeutic Work with Children

Theories & Skills Related to Therapeutic Work with Children JAMIE WALKER psychologist, social worker What are Our Roles in Supporting Children? W...
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Theories & Skills Related to

Therapeutic Work with Children JAMIE WALKER psychologist, social worker

What are Our Roles in Supporting Children?

Why should We respond to Children’s Misbehaviour  Protect the Child from Harm

 Improved Child’s Care for Self  Improved Social Links with Others

Typical Reasons for Children’s Misbehaviour  Wish to Attract Attention to Themselves  Show of Power, Superiority & Self-

Expression

 Revenge for an Insult or Hurt  Feeling Insecure & they are a Failure

What does the Child want from their Worker  Someone they can like & who is easy to talk to

 Someone who can be flexible in supporting

their needs  Someone who has concrete & practical ideas

to offer  Someone who shows they care & is available

when needed

Fundamental Skills when

Working with Children

Active Listening  Attentive, Sincere & Open

 Includes Encouragement to keep story

flowing  Able to reflect the content to the child  Able to reflect the feelings to the child

Creating a Safe Space to Talk  Organise with Your Team – Consider Who,

Updated, Timeframe, Covering  What Kind of Room – Consider “does it feel?”

Equal, Private, Quiet, Familiar  Explain the Process – Consider how to explain

Purpose, Rights/Responsibilities, Notes

Staying with the Story Paraphrasing  Restate one core idea from what was just said  Use when idea is unclear or links seemed muddled  Use to get the core idea restated without a lot of

detail

Name the Emotion  Offer a suggestion of what they feel  Use when emotion is shown but unnamed  Use when emotion named doesn’t seem to fit

Expanding the Story  Use a mix of different types of questions: Closed – Invites only one word answers; good for

simple info or to check details Open – Cannot be answered with a single word; good

for getting more complex info & opinions; also checking emotion/motivation during process Be mindful not to simply interrogate the child

Hurdles in Communication Silence / Changing Subjects / “I don’t know” Can Mean:  Resistant / Unengaged  Need time to think, Overloaded/Over-Excited, Confused/Unsure of Association, Scared, New Idea / Key Admission  Note what happened, check they see it too  Check if ready to explore or another time  Note will return & move on (if possible)

Working Towards Change with Children

What does the Child get as a Learning Participant  Residents are active in making sense of what happens  Provided with new ideas & information to assist in 

  

their goals Supported to become more self-sufficient & able to care for self Offered recognition of their emotions & what these mean to them Process aims to build an agreement on how things could be different Process includes reviewing what was achieved & where to next

Reflect on What has been… ‘Experience as Best Teacher’  How did Child’s behaviour affect them or others?  Did Child recognise these results of their

behaviour?  Did Child know what was expected of them?  Were these expectations on Child reasonable?  Was Child (or anyone else) in any danger? Remember: Experience does not always ‘teach’ us the first time...

Understanding What Is Possible Mapping out Ideas  Child’s ideas may include assumptions, contradictions & uncertainty  Find out where ideas came from, what they led to & if open to change  Prioritise goals that match their values, are motivating & realistic

Mapping out Options  Experiences & ideas can limit the options the Child can see & expect  Staff will have more ideas/info to offer to broaden options (not as advice)  Any options must be assessed for benefits & costs, plus steps involved

Encouraging Resilience  Insight – asking tough questions  Independence – being your own person  Relationships – connecting with people

who matter  Initiative – taking charge  Creativity – using imagination  Humour – finding what’s funny  Morality – doing the right thing

Evaluating  Review what did get & did not get done (facts only, not 

 

 

judgement) Check any changes to circumstances, goals, expected outcomes, etc Check where Child still needs assistance & note growing independence Review Child’s experience of moving from goals towards outcomes Check how Child handled obstacles, hurdles, unexpected events Check Child’s sense of their own ability & changes to relationships

Added Complications and

Techniques

What Messages do we want children to take from meeting us  Both of us (all) are worthy of respect & good

treatment  We will look at what you did, not judge who you are  Everyone makes mistakes; You can choose to do better  We will address this now to find an end to the problem  You choose how you behave; I can help you see what it means

Reality Checking (Glasser)  What does the Child want to do/have/feel/etc?  What is the Child doing to get what they want?  Are their actions actually helping them to

achieve their goals? Choice - “The only person who I control & who controls me is myself” Changing what we do is the key to changing how we feel and getting to what we want

Motivational Interviewing Preparatory Change Talk  Desire (I want to change)  Ability (I can change)  Reason (It’s important to change)  Need (I should change) Implementing Change Talk  Commitment (I will make changes)  Activation (I am ready, prepared, willing to change)  Taking Steps (I am taking specific actions to change)

Children in Social Structures  Status & Recognition (Attention) Positive & respectful communication is the start  Dominance & Control (Power)

Find ways to get the issue of Competition ‘on the

table’  Resources & Wealth (Insecurity) Find ways/tools to share the discussion space more fairly  Reflex & Unexamined Habit (Hurt?) Recognise each person’s contribution of content & feelings

Recognising Change & Competence Four Stages of Developing Skills & Competence  Unconscious Incompetence  Conscious Incompetence  Conscious Competence  Unconscious Competence Guiding Reflections on Competence  How much work did the Child have to do?  How well did the Child feel these activities worked?  Does the Child now see themselves as better (or worse) off than when they started?

References C Rogers G Egan JE Durrant A Bandura S&S Wolin W Glasser R&W Miller M Friedman

- “Client Centered Therapy” (‘51) - “The Skilled Helper” (‘98) - “Positive Discipline” (‘06) - “Social Learning Theory” (‘77) - “The Resilient Self” (‘93) - “What are You Doing?” (‘80) - “Motivational Interviewing” (‘95) - “Trying Hard is Not Good Enough” (‘05) --M White - “Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends” (‘90) W McCashen -“The Strengths Approach” (‘05) Minuchin & Fishman “Family Therapy Techniques” (‘04)

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