Mirror mirror on the ward: who is the unfairest of them all? Reflections on reflective practice groups in acute psychiatric settings

Consultant psychiatrists in medical psychotherapy, adult psychotherapists, child and adolescent psychotherapists and clinical psychologists increasingly complement their direct therapeutic activity with applications of their psychotherapeutic thinking in acute mental health work through facilitating reflective practice groups for staff working in mental health teams. The authors offer their reflections on facilitating National Health Service reflective practice groups using the metaphor of a mirrored dialogue between patient and professional, and professional and institution as a basis for informing the development of reflective practice for colleagues. Their reflections are based on working on three acute in-patient wards, in a crisis resolution team and in community mental health teams. They describe the practicalities of setting up and facilitating reflective practice groups, and offer insights into some of the issues that arise in reflective practice groups. They conclude that these groups are mutually beneficial in forging links between psychotherapy professionals and professionals working in other disciplines and areas of mental health. Facilitating these groups often requires a challenging adaptation of technique, which will not suit all psychotherapists, as well as a wider understanding of organisational dynamics and the interplay between clinicians and management.     

Superordinate identities and intergroup conflict: The ingroup projection model

This chapter summarises results from a research programme on the psychological basis of tolerance and discrimination in intergroup relations, with particular consideration of the role of superordinate identities. According to the ingroup projection model, a relevant superordinate group provides dimensions and norms for comparisons between ingroup and outgroup. Groups gain positive value or status when they are considered prototypical for the (positively valued) superordinate group. Group members tend to generalise (project) distinct ingroup characteristics onto the superordinate category, implying the relative prototypicality of their ingroup. To the extent that outgroup difference is regarded as a deviation from the ethnocentrically construed prototype it is evaluated negatively. Our research studied consequences and determinants of ingroup projection, as well as moderators of its implications. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the processes involved in intergroup discrimination and indicate new pathways for the reduction of prejudice, towards mutual intergroup appreciation and tolerance.     

Connected to the wellspring: ecclesiological capabilities of small groups of adolescents

The relationship between adolescents and institutional manifestations of church is often problematic. Nevertheless, adolescents still have a need to talk about and to experience faith together with other adolescents. When institutional activities are not available or do not satisfy the needs of the adolescents they sometimes create their own small groups and (informal) meetings to affirm their faith integrated in their (social) lives. Sociological studies also show the tendency to create their own small groups (tribes) besides existing groups of institutional organisations. In this article the question posed is how this more tribal way of being together can be seen as church. Is a (new) form of ecclesiology possible in a world of small groups, networks, social media? This article describes ecclesiological capabilities in a complex sociological environment for adolescents.     

Art from the Heart

Abstract

This article describes art therapy techniques grounded in a relational-cultural approach used in a middle school group for girls. Art from the Heart is an interactive preventive intervention designed to facilitate increased connections among group members. It is intended to bring together multiethnic groups of urban girls with complex relational histories to learn about growth-fostering relationships, without relying on sophisticated verbal abilities. Specific techniques encourage the expression of “feeling thoughts” and other interpersonal dynamics that do not lend themselves well to words. The interactive nature of the art projects creates a context where interpersonal disconnections can be explored and understood, and connections can be celebrated, both by talking and by making art.     

Trauma Survivors' Emotional Distress and Barriers to Early Psychological Intervention in an Inner-City Acute Surgical Trauma Service

Fifty-five predominantly low-income ethnic minority patients were interviewed and screened for early signs of psychological distress following traumatic injury. A free, brief intervention and transportation were offered to patients who evidenced psychiatric symptoms. Over half of participants reported psychiatric symptoms, but none accepted the free intervention. This study examined reasons participants remained reluctant to engage in services despite elimination of common barriers. Results highlight the importance of perceptual barriers over structural barriers in engaging patients in psychological interventions following a traumatic event.     

Conceptualizing Trauma and Resilience Across Diverse Contexts

Abstract

This paper offers a multicultural understanding of trauma and resilience as experienced in the lives of individuals from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds. The research and clinical literature on resilience has focused largely if not exclusively on individual personality traits and coping styles, and has neglected to explore all possible sources and expressions of resilience in individuals and groups. For many ethnic minorities, traditional notions of resilience, shaped largely by middle class European and North American values, may not capture culturally more familiar modes of positive adaptation to adverse and traumatic experience. This paper explores the concept of resilience as a multidetermined phenomenon, and considers the implications of this perspective for clinical research and intervention with ethnic minorities.     

Comment upon ‘"Poor girl": a case of active psychosis’: how therapeutic schemas may limit our work

The paper explores the effect of group participation on depressed women's ‘doing depression’ and ‘doing pleasure’ in Finland over three time periods. Quantitative data and qualitative data are analysed. To assess statistically the differences between the time periods, the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks z-test is applied to the quantitative data. Coping with emotions through self-focused attention, depressed women are reluctant to initiate instrumental behaviour. They tend to respond to their lives in a ruminative way. Moving towards pleasure rather than depression characterized women's activities as a result of the group process; they learned to embody health, while envisaging hope for the future. Our emphasis on embodiment allows us to consider agency as a contemporary group therapeutic effect as well as to contextualize psychotherapy research within post-modern thinking. While the findings do not provide an indisputable list of the ways women's activities changed over time or all the advantages of group participation, they do suggest areas for future exploration in connection with depressed women's healthy embodiment in a healing group context and advance an understanding of how the experience and duration of depression can be altered if the public and private boundaries of depressed women's embodied routines are broken down and self-isolation is challenged.     

不同人群对留守儿童问题行为的认知差异研究

通过问卷调查探索不同人群对留守儿童问题行为的认知差异。对五个年级的265名学生及其班级任课教师、监护人及社会一般人群进行问卷团体施测。结果显示:不同人群对留守儿童问题行为认知差异极其显著,其中教师与家长评价最低,一般人群评价次之,学生自评最好;不同群体均认为留守儿童男性问题行为严重于女性;对留守男性儿童,教师评价最低,对留守女性儿童,儿童自评最好;年级主效应极其显著,即随年级增高,问题行为评价越严重。     

Nothing But Stereotypes? Negligible Sex Differences Across Creativity Measures in Science,Arts, and Sports Adolescent High Achievers

Previous research has focused on understanding when, why, and how sex differences in creativity occur, as results vary across samples, measures, and methodologies. In the current study we investigated sex differences in creativity among 984 high achieving adolescents in three expertise areas: Sciences, Arts, and Sports. Eight creativity indicators were analyzed: Alternative uses task (AUT) fluency; creative self-efficacy (CSE); intraindividual strengths (difference between CSE and AUT Fluency); five self-reported creativity scales: Self/everyday, scholarly, performance, mechanical/scientific, artistic. The results showed negligible sex differences ( $n_{\mathrm{p}}^2$ = .01), with females performing better in AUT Fluency and males self-rating their CSE higher. No sex differences were found in self/everyday, scholarly and performance creativity. Males self-rated their mechanical/scientific creativity ( $n_{\mathrm{p}}^2$ = .06) higher than females; while females self-rated their artistic creativity ( $n_{\mathrm{p}}^2$ = .02) higher in comparison to males. Our results extend the existing literature by finding negligible sex differences in adolescent expert groups. However, some stereotypical differences emerged, for example, females with Sciences expertise rated their mechanical/scientific creativity lower than males with and even without Sciences expertise. Results call for further investigation into the links between sex differences, expertise, and specific creativity domains.