Kids' Club Letters: Narrative Tools for Stimulating Process and Dialogue in Therapy Groups for Children and Adolescents by Georgia A. DeGangi , Marc A. Nemiroff (review)
2010; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/grp.2010.0028
ISSN1573-3386
Autores Tópico(s)Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
ResumoGROUP, Vol. 34, No.i,March 2010 Book Review Kids' Club Letters: Narrative Toolsfor Stimulating Process and Dialogue in Therapy Groups for Children and Adolescents. By Georgia A. DeGangi and Marc A. Nemiroff. New York and London: Routledge, 2010, 224 pages. Reviewed by JoHariton1 There isa dearth ofliterature aboutgrouptherapy for children, andthisisa much neededcreative addition tothefield. Itistargeted for mental health professionals andeducators, andfocuses uponletter writing as a narrative therapy toolforuse in therapy groupswithschool-age children. Dr.DeGangiis a clinicalpsychologistwhois also an occupational therapist. Dr.Nemiroff is a clinicalpsychologist whoisco-chair oftheInfant/Young ChildMentalHealthTraining Program atthe Washington SchoolofPsychiatry. Astheprimary therapist for thegroups described, Dr.DeGangiwrites various letters from theperspective ofa child asking thegroup members for advice. Sheshows howthese letters givethechildren thestructure andtherapeutic distance that they needtobegintoaddress their owndifficulties, which they arereluctant tobring up spontaneously. Theletters arewritten ina reflective style, which indirectly enhances thereflective capacity ofthesechildren. Theactualresponses ofthechildren, ages 8-12,inthevariousgroups thatsheleadsaretranscribed, andsupplemented bya listofvarious activities usedineachsession. Interspersed with theprocess material iscommentary from Dr.DeGangiandDr.Nemiroff. The"DearKidsClub" letters inthe bookareorganized byspecific themes: identity formation andunderstanding oneself, interpersonal effectiveness, andemotional 1 Director, Social Skills Group Therapy Program, New York Presbyterian Hospital, White Plains, New York and faculty member, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York. Correspondence should beaddressed toJo Hariton, PhD, LCSW, CGP, 21Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY10605. E-mail: jhariton@med.cornell.edu. ISSN 0362-4021©2010 Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society 85 86 HARITON regulation. Forexample, an excerpt from a child s letter intheidentity formation section highlights thefears andloneliness ofa childafraid toreveal histrueself: Whenever I start totellpeoplewhat I feel, they glazeover, lookbored, andchange the topic. I feel that I dontcount. Noonecares andI feel invisible. I amgiving upon trying toshare anything I feel. I canttell youhowlonely anddepressing this is. Or,from thesection oninterpersonal effectiveness comesthis letter from a child whohasimpulse control problems, a wishfor secrecy, andcuriosity aboutsex: I havegotten myself insomeserious trouble. We're talking about major hotwater! I lovetogoonthecomputer. . . . Itsmy biggest hobby. Theother dayI decided toget myself oneofthose neat CD players, soI ordered oneonthe internet using my moms credit card. When my mom found out, shehit the ceiling There issomething else I did,too.I dontknow howshefound out, butI went surfing onthenetandfound a porno site. I'matthat agewhen these things interest me,soI wasjustdoing what other kidsdo.Sheisreally madnowandhasgrounded mefrom mycomputer for thenext two weeks I'mgetting depressed about this andallI candoiswatch TV. Sowhat isyour advice? After a letter is readinthesession, thegroupbecomesthe"Advice Column" with members offering specific advicefrom their ownexperience. Gradually some ofthechildren inthegroupaddtheir ownletters tothecollection, whichareread anonymously. Various groups arediscussed, with members separated bygender, and themembership represents a variety ofdiagnoses, including Asperger's syndrome, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorders, andregulatory disorders. Often clinicalcommentary aboutchildren leavesoutthesensory integration issuesaffecting some children. Dr. DeGangis background as an occupational therapist informs thediscussion, supplemented byDr.Nemiroff s commentary, so thatthereader becomeseducated tobothidentify andmanagethese"sensory hypersensitivities," whether they aretactile defenses, underreactive tactile systems, auditory hypersensitivities, motor planning, orexecutive functioning issues.One oftheletters targets this"jumping outofmyskin," whichthenvalidates theexperiences ofsomeofthegroupmembers whileopening upthetopicforinput from theother kidsinthegroup. A sensory profile checklist forchildren isincluded to beutilized inthegroup. Theresponses ofthechildren totheletters aretranscribed unedited. Theauthors settheambitious goalofcommenting aboutthesesessions from thevantage pointofattachment, psychodynamic, constitutional/regulatory, andinterpersonal orgroupdynamics asthey arise.Although they dontfully reachtheir goalineach session,theirexamination ofthegroupprocess,individualcharacteristics, defenses ofgroup members, andtherapeutic decisions that aremade,isinsightful and BookReview: KidsClubLetters 87 enriching. I learned muchfrom theinterplay between theauthors. However, I think that inserting their dialogueintothetranscriptions ofthegroupprocess leadstoa certain choppiness attimesthatis distracting, andthatitmight better havebeen placedattheendofeachchapter. Theopennessofthegroupleaderin regard to whatsheviewsas mistakes inherleadership deserves kudos! I think thattheletters themselves arewonderful. Theyhavealready givenme ideasforuse in individualtherapy sessionsforchildren, as wellas forgroups. Eventhetitles ofthechapters reflecting thecontent oftheletters are 4 catchy," for example, "TheSquarePegina RoundHole,""BackStageorOn -Stage," "Who's the Boss?I'mtheBoss," "Living with a Short Fuse," "Aliens andEarthlings: WhichOne AmI?,"and"I'mtheBest!Right?" Theletters really speaktothechildren andtheir therapeutic impact ispalpable. Theactivities listed for eachsession areinteresting aswell.Grouptherapists who areunfamiliar with thecreative artswillgainmany ideasthat areuseful for fosteringthetherapeutic process inworking with children. Suggestions suchasbuilding individual dioramas, with role-playing, andthefilming ofindividual stories, provide a hands-on format tocaptivate theinterest ofchildren whilefurthering their own narrative development. Thereareabundant suggestions suchas constructing an "anger box," working with interesting tactile related materials suchasbubblewrap, andproviding group-as-awholeprojects where everyone contributes toward a...
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