Treating complex trauma in adolescents: A phase-based, integrative approach for play therapists.

Green, Eric J.; Myrick, Amie C.

doi:10.1037/a0036679

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(61 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition to animal‐assisted techniques, activities such as meal preparation and cooking, art therapy, hiking, learning to walk on a low tightrope and other similar experiential/relational activities can foster safe connections among family members and create insight into entrenched family dynamics. Because these activities are physical, they help to reduce the autonomic arousal associated with anxiety and therefore create openness to new learning (Green & Myrick, ; Judge & Bailey, ).…”

Section: Emotional Dysregulation Is Contagiousmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

Bailey¹,

Dana²,

Bailey³

et al. 2020

Family Court Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Families, litigants, lawyers, advisors embroiled in cases of complex divorce with child contact issues, manage many stressors at once. Participants involved with these types of cases are often exhausted and burned-out from the long-term battles of prolonged litigation. The inability to problem-solve or even communicate effectively reflects the chaos and traumatic stress of the experience and can be seen as a hallmark of this population. When people are consistently stressed, there is a breakdown of communication skills that can create an immunity to receiving help from any direction. Often all parties involved appear to be both hyper-alert to potential threat, and hyper-reactive to one another: no one feels safe. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory is premised on the idea that neuroception plays a key role in the nervous system's ability to assess danger in the environment. Neuroception is a neurophysiological response that does not involve cognitive processing. When cognitive processing is not involved, the result may lead to misinterpretation of, and an inability to accurately assess situations: executive functioning including rational thinking and communication skills are lost to physiological response. Rather than evaluating families and individuals involved in the aforementioned complex divorce cases through the lens of pathology, Polyvagal Theory explains their behavior as an adaptive stress reaction. Utilizing Polyvagal Theory offers a promising path to treatment with these families and diminishing the poor communication and the heightened emotion, assisting practitioners in understanding the impact of neurobiological response in managing stress and trauma. Applying Polyvagal Theory to court involved populations can help both litigants and practitioners recognize the role of the autonomic nervous system, providing the opportunity to understand, to self-regulate, and to improve communication and decision making. Key Points for the Family Court Community:Separation and divorce. The impact of Parent/Child contact problems in high-conflict divorce and separation. The impact of high conflict co-parenting cases on family law and mental health professionals. Interventions: Current practice Polyvagal theory. Polyvagal informed therapy. Effects of polyvagal approach and self regulation. Managing physiological response from a cognitive perspective. Clinical setting and polyvagal theory. Family therapy and polyvagal theory. Experiential framework and polyvagal theory. *Equine assisted therapy, polyvagal perspectives and alternatives. Processing chaos and grief. Other opportunities for making connection. Implementation for professionals.

show abstract

Section: Emotional Dysregulation Is Contagiousmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

Bailey¹,

Dana²,

Bailey³

et al. 2020

Family Court Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Experts in the field facilitate equine assisted groundwork and the animals are considered part of the team. Play is another experiential technique, which has an important place in recovery from complex trauma more generally (Green & Myrick, ). A certified play therapist that is knowledgeable about reunification may be integral to the team.…”

Section: The Reunification Teammentioning

confidence: 99%

The Transitioning Families Therapeutic Reunification Model in Nonfamilial Abductions

Judge¹,

Bailey²,

Behrman-Lippert³

et al. 2016

Family Court Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The existing literature on abduction reunification is limited and evolving. Although guidelines for model service approaches exist, few programs address the unique challenges of reunifying children and families following abduction. This article delineates a family-based reunification model that has assisted families affected by abduction since 2006. Model components include a team-centered approach, a stage-oriented reunification process, and pitfalls and strategies related to intersystem collaboration. We present the value of a family-systems, solution-focused, trauma-informed, and case-specific approach to therapeutic reunification following child abduction. Evidence that is contrary to the popular notion of Stockholm's syndrome is also marked. Research on the efficacy of therapeutic reunification is essential for the growth of systems equipped to address the dynamic needs of these families. Accordingly, suggestions for evaluation research are proposed. Key Points for the Family Court Community:Families face a range of unique challenges during reunification following abduction. Historically, therapeutic reunification has emphasized the needs of the central victim with only a perfunctory focus on the family. This article delineates a family-based reunification model that has assisted families affected by abduction since 2006. We present the value of a family-system, solution-focused, trauma-informed, and case-specific approach to therapeutic reunification following child abduction.

show abstract

“…Many play therapists practise from a client‐centred theoretical perspective, which emphasises the child's innate capacity for self‐healing, the therapist's warmth and acceptance for the child, creation of conditions of free expression for the child, respect for the child's problem‐solving capacities and non‐directiveness . Although adolescents often prefer talk therapy (which may have a psychodynamic, client‐centred or other theoretical orientation), play therapy can be used with this age group . CBT is based on the assumption that thoughts affect feelings and behaviour, and emphasises directly changing cognitions through teaching children coping skills, promoting their self‐control and enhancing their self‐efficacy, with the child's active participation …”

Section: The Evidence Base For Psychodynamic Therapy and Play Therapymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence‐based child and adolescent psychotherapy: It's not what you think

Golding

2016

J Paediatrics Child Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In clinical practice, I have often encountered the supposition that evidence-based psychotherapy for children and adolescents is synonymous with cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). 1 CBT is commonly thought to be more effective than other forms of treatment for young people, such as psychodynamic or play therapy, 2,3 and is often described as 'the treatment of choice' for youth, 4 with other therapies seen as lacking an evidence base. 1 A scientific approach to choosing treatment requires that we examine our assumptions and their empirical basis. In this article, I question the assumption of CBT's superiority and briefly review the empirical data on the efficacy of play therapy and psychodynamic therapy with young people. I then address considerations in choosing therapies that are likely to be most helpful.Psychotherapies for children and adolescents are based on a wide range of theoretical orientations. I focus here on psychodynamic (psychoanalytic), client-centred and CBT approaches. Psychodynamic therapy is distinguished by its exploration of emotions, fantasy and efforts to avoid distressing feelings; identification of patterns of experience; developmental focus; and focus on relationships, including the therapeutic alliance. 5 In psychodynamic play therapy, play is seen as the child's natural form of communication and essentially takes the place of adult patients' verbalisations. 6 Many play therapists practise from a client-centred theoretical perspective, which emphasises the child's innate capacity for self-healing, the therapist's warmth and acceptance for the child, creation of conditions of free expression for the child, respect for the child's problem-solving capacities and non-directiveness. 7 Although adolescents often prefer talk therapy (which may have a psychodynamic, client-centred or other theoretical orientation), play therapy can be used with this age group. 8,9 CBT is based on the assumption that thoughts affect feelings and behaviour, and emphasises directly changing cognitions 10 through teaching children coping skills, promoting their self-control and enhancing their self-efficacy, with the child's active participation. 11Despite CBT's popularity, for three decades, meta-analyses have demonstrated that play therapy is effective for a wide range of childhood mental health problems. [12][13][14][15] In four meta-analyses, weighted mean effect sizes for play therapy range from 0.65 to 0.80 over 42 to 94 studies, [12][13][14][15] representing moderately large to large effects. 16 Fully three-quarters of children treated with play therapy are better off than the average untreated child, paralleling findings in adult psychotherapy. 17 Likewise, a meta-analysis of 11 studies of short-term (40 visits or less) psychodynamic treatment for youth indicates a large effect (weighted mean g = 1.07), 18 consistent with a qualitative literature review that documents psychodynamics psychotherapy's effectiveness for children and teens, 19 as have more recent studies with children 20 and adolescents. 21 The ...

show abstract

Treating complex trauma in adolescents: A phase-based, integrative approach for play therapists.

Cited by 16 publications

References 46 publications

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

The Transitioning Families Therapeutic Reunification Model in Nonfamilial Abductions

Evidence‐based child and adolescent psychotherapy: It's not what you think

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About