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Dear Members, the following reports were written by AFC's that attended the 2010 Conference and who have kindly written up a small report on the various presenters sessions. “Angel Blankets” A creative Approach to Working with Survivors of Trauma Mary Jo McVeigh In commenting on Mary Jo’s presentation it is helpful to acknowledge that Therapeutic Modalities that encourage a hands on or tactile approach to connecting with our feelings and thoughts, both past and present, are tools that we should be able to offer our young people and families. Mary Jo delivered a presentation that highlighted the benefits that the process of blanket making has provided for her clients. In thinking on the number of times one hears that a child is attached to a blanket, the potential for a survivor of trauma to recreate a part of his or her lost or traumatic childhood, through the creation of a blanket, using symbols relative to the past or the here and now, could not be underestimated. Furthermore the very act of wrapping one’s self within his or her creation could be quite empowering but definitely comforting and nurturing. Mary Jo’s presentation was certainly animated and her connection to her family and the influence it has had on her and her work was evident and a reminder that for some of our clients, the absence of family on its own can be and often is traumatic. Mary Jo so succinctly put it, although she used her spokes dog Toby who believes “Children should be nurtured, not diagnosed: loved not labeled”. Thanks Mary Jo by John Hazlewood
The presenters for this part of the AFCA conference were Chrissie Witherdin from DoCS together with Deb Gavan from the Premier’s Office. They drew our attention to the recent changes in regard to Mandatory Reporting. The threshold is now “risk of significant harm” and the reporter guide on the web is there to assist. The Family referral Services at Mt Druitt, Newcastle and Dubbo are there to deal with some of the concerns which fall below the threshold. The importance of integrated case management was noted due to a wide range of serious incidents in the past where isolation and lack of integration among service providers had not been helpful and at times perilous to children. The possible tension between information exchange & client confidentiality was addressed in part by drawing our attention to the counsellor’s right to ask for requests from other agencies to be put in writing, where they are to note especially the information which might relate to risk of harm (I believe only these details can be requested). This enables delayed and more thoughtful consideration on the counsellor’s and perhaps the other agency’s part before exchange takes place. It also allows for possible consent from the client. By Vicki White INTEGRATING FAMILY THERAPY IN THE EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT OF ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION
By Glenn Larner – Senior Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years experience working in CAMHS.
“Adolescent depression, particularly where suicidal behaviour is involved, is a complex and pressing mental health problem and demanding for families, therapists and services alike.”
Glenn gave us an overview of the evidence-based literature in relation to family therapy and working with Adolescents and depression.
There are effective treatments for depression but the challenge for Counsellors is to take the lines of evidence-based treatment and create an integrated program tailored to the needs of the adolescent client.
Glenn spoke about Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in treatment for the acute phase of adolescent depression and Family Therapy to address long term adolescent depression.
The family intervention includes systemic family therapy, psycho education, building resilience and hope, reducing relational conflict between parents and adolescents and addressing attachment and relationship issues. Glenn referred to Diamond et al (2003) paper about attachment based therapy.
Other things that may require some reflection include – behavioral activation; lifestyle modification; dietary management; social life enhancement; situational problem solving; cognitive restructuring; emotional strength building; and exploring the role of meaning.
If you would like to read more about this presentation you can find Glenn Larner’s article:
Integrating family therapy in adolescent depression: an ethical stance by: Glenn Larner
Journal of Family Therapy, Vol. 31, No. 3., pp. 213-232.
One of my favourite presentations at our conference was the presentation by Felicity Garland and Lesley Withey which covered the 27/7 Manly Youth Film Festival.
As AFCs we often search for ways to give young people a voice that we can hear and which help us in our work with these amazing, challenging and resourceful people. Some of these ways are more affective than others. Asking our clients or customers to give us feedback on the therapy we use can be a bit fraught. It almost like parents asking their kids how they are doing at parenting. You simply have to get on with it and do the best you can. On the other hand it is absolutely vital if we are going to connect with them, to listen to our young people – where they are at – what they think – and what their experience of life is.
So - What a brilliant idea to encourage young people to make films which can express their thought, opinions, feelings and even dreams and how wonderful for us to have the privilege of seeing some of this work! The notion of making a film is a great way to engage young people to look at serious topics. As well as this it would be expected that everyone who took part in the project would get a real buzz of seeing their finished work whether they received a prize or not - a great way of raising self esteem.
The films we saw were extremely well made, both from the point of view they expressed and from the technical aspects of film making. The story lines were good, and the acting was excellent. The cinematography, editing, sound and post production were all of a high standard.
We had a lot of fun discussing the movies in groups which demonstrates that there was plenty of “meat” to be discussed and we totally enjoyed seeing what young people can do and of course we loved hearing their voices. Well done Lesley and Felicity !
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