Special Section: On Learning from the Patience

Abstract

Working with families, especially in areas such as child abuse, throws up many situations that can be viewed as crises requiring urgent action. The sense of urgency can increase when attempts to protect children are met with denial and obstruction. In reviewing our experiences over more than 30 years we have come to recognize that being organized by this sense of crisis can be counterproductive. An alternative has been the counterintuitive reaction of slowing down the process and valuing the chance to consider alternatives while maintaining a steady perseverance. In other words, of patience. We consider the influences, especially from systemic therapy and attachment research that have helped us deal patiently with denial and the potentially frustrating behaviour of abused children that is an outcome of their adaptations to prolonged maltreatment. The article concludes by proposing the value of patience as a useful stance in relation to current developments in family therapy.

‘Treating this place like home’: An exploration of the notions of home within an adolescent inpatient unit with subsequent implications for staff training

“…Often using the alternative term ‘resonance’, systemic theory is ideally placed to make sense of the interactional relationships in this context, and to understand the patterns of communication that in attempt to solve problems, have themselves become problematic (Watzlawick et al., 1974). Family therapy has expertise not just in family processes, but also in exploring the self of the therapist, in addition to the organisational functioning of the team and in training and supervision (Hanks & Stratton, 2007).…”

“…Often using the alternative term 'resonance', systemic theory is ideally placed to make sense of the interactional relationships in this context, and to understand the patterns of communication that in attempt to solve problems, have themselves become problematic (Watzlawick et al, 1974). Family therapy has expertise not just in family processes, but also in exploring the self of the therapist, in addition to the organisational functioning of the team and in training and supervision (Hanks & Stratton, 2007). Some of the most seminal ideas in the field, often celebrated in academic circles -Main's descriptions of the ailment (1957), the ward atmosphere scale (Moos, 1974), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988), social defences (Menzies Lyth, 1988) - have held a central position in this research.…”

Denial of Child Maltreatment Histories among Male Adolescent Offenders

“…Violence by itself is a hurtful experience for a child. Thus, clinicians need to have a tolerant and persistent approach in helping children with histories of CAN (Hanks & Stratton, 2007).…”

“…At this point, putting any pressure on children can cause children to retract, which is a part of the accommodation syndrome. With this model, clinicians can realize level of denial (Hanks and Stratton 2007;Summit 1983).…”