Customer Reviews

Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am pleased with the book in that it is thorough in it's discussion of trauma and the artistic interventions that can benefit those who suffer from it. I was hoping that the book would be more of an overview of creative ideas and how to apply them, rather than a discussion of why to use interventions involving creativity. However, it is still a valuable resource.

Rating this book is a tough endeavor for me. The authors acknowledge the impact trauma can have on children, drawing in particular from the insight and wisdom of Bruce Perry. In recent years, Perry has greatly informed our understanding of the effects of physical and psychological trauma on children in unique and profound ways. Unfortunately, whereas Perry's views have helped us to look forward with respect to childhood trauma, this book represents a step backward.

While art, music, and expressive therapies do play a role in the treatment of children with traumatic backgrounds, we increasingly find that these approaches do little to result in significant and long-term behavioral and emotional change. Parents may thus be intrigued by the approaches, but in general, many--if not most--do not report that it results in significant behavioral changes for the child, especially with those who act out their trauma at home and/or school.

The child welfare research is consistent in pointing out that the children who rebound the best from physical or psychological trauma are those who are provided with ample amounts of parental attunement and empathy. The approaches used and advocated by these authors cannot achieve this.

That stated, the majority of children with traumatic histories end up in play and expressive therapies. This book therefore offers guidance for therapists who utilize these approaches, and on that basis, I would normally give it 4- to 5 stars. It is a well-written book and the credentials of the writers are impressive.

In my work with foster and adopted children, however, I know directly and anecdotally that the kids who rebound the best from trauma are those who are provided with family-based approaches to their mental health treatment. Granted, an exception can be made for very young children (under age 6, for example), but if we look at the trends--and especially at what works at healing trauma--the approaches emphasized in this book fall short in many ways.

This is an excellent book that details different therapies, all creative, to deal with children who have been traumatized. The original reason I had the library get me this was because one of the chapters, 'Grieving in the Public Eye,' was written by a friend and former roommate, Laura Loumeau-May. Laura is an artist and art therapist, and her chapter details how she treated specific clients, those who were the children of victims of the World Trade Center attacks. She used many creative ideas, including heart shaped collages and memorial projects, to help these kids deal with their grief and overwhelming sense of loss. Although I am a teacher, not someone in this field, I found it very interesting. Other chapters I particularly liked included one by P. Gussie Klorer, that dealt with treating children with attachment issues. One of the ideas is to have her clients create life sized dolls; one of her clients, a foster child who for a long time felt that it would be a betrayal of her biological mother to love her foster parents, used the doll to say and do the things she could not. Very interesting. Also, the chapter by Russell E. Hilliard about using music therapy with traumatized children in group therapy was fascinating, as was another chapter, by Craig Haen, about using drama therapy, something that is apparently somewhat uncommon, to treat children who have been the victims of abuse or trauma. Besides Loumeau-May's chapter, the two I enjoyed the most both dealt with literacy as a form of treatment (no doubt because I am a Language Arts teacher), one by Ann Cattanach entitled 'Working Creatively with Children and Their Families after Trauma: The Storied Life,' and another by the editor of the book, Cathy Malchiodi, and Deanne Ginns-Gruenberg, entitled 'Trauma, Loss, and Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Stories.' Very cool how they write about using literature as a form of intervention, including having their clients read specific stories, and by identifying with the characters, they gain increased understanding and insight into their own problems, and integrating ideas or themes from existing stories into their own stories, they come to better understand the issues they face. Lots of case stories and how these ideas work for their clients. If there is any criticism I have of the book, and I acknowledge I am NOT in this field so this is purely an opinion, it is with the chapter by Diane S. Safran and Elysa R. Safran, entitled 'Creative Approaches to Minimize the Traumatic Impact of Bullying Behavior.' I had issues with some of what they wrote, which seemed too pat and unrealistic, including the case study of a student who categorizes his victimization at school by bullies as being 'terrorized.' Yet after three months of drawing pictures he's all better and can handle the bullying by walking away. Either details were missing from this account or the results were skewed because if one is being truly 'terrorized' at school, which far too many students are, walking away is not usually an option. Nevertheless, an illuminating book that I would highly recommend.

This book is a compilation of chapters written by various experts regarding the effects of trauma and useful interventions for resolving it. Each chapter is well-researched, providing information and insights that mental health professionals from a variety of backgrounds will be able to utilize. Highly recommend!

This book was very helpful when researching examples of how art therapy can help children who have experienced trauma such as abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. I found it particularly useful when writing about PTSD in children, and how art therapy can be used to treat these children. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested learning about the benefits of art therapy, or counseling children who have experienced trauma.

EXCELLENT book by excellent authors. I will refer to this book MANY MANY times in dealing with one of my daughters who had a traumatic experience at the age of three -- I'm also a professional in early childhood special education!

Well written and full of information and ideas for treating clients who have been traumatized.