Seeing is Remembering

Abstract

Working with children and adolescents in any therapeutic setting can be a challenge. Counselors who take on the task of working with this population must have a multitude of skills and tools at their disposal. This article outlines the importance of making counseling experiential for young clients by discussing several creative counseling interventions. This article focuses on the use of props with children and adolescents. Sample dialogue is offered to demonstrate creative interventions that enhance counseling with children and make the work memorable.     

Mothers and Children Together

Summary

Treatment groups for both mothers and children together who have experienced mother assault is a unique therapeutic milieu which has been underutilized in the treatment field. This article presents a 10-week feminist-informed family systems group model as part of a treatment approach for children exposed to family violence and can be used with families of children from pre-school to adolescence. This model provides a context in which the experience of family violence can be debriefed, and issues related to trauma, safety, secrecy, and post-abuse family restructuring can be addressed by family members together. In addition, play and art therapy based interventions are presented and are tailored for the beginning, middle, and end of the group process.     

The Lawyer in the Dutch Interrogation Room: Influence on Police and Suspect

In many European countries, providing a suspect in custody with legal aid before the first police interrogation is a heavily debated issue. In this paper, we report on an exploratory study on the use of coercion by the police and the use of the right to silence by suspects in 70 Dutch homicide cases and their relation to prior consultation and presence of a lawyer. Analysis of the data indicates that there is a relation between the presence of a lawyer in the interrogation room and the way in which police interrogators use coercion. To gain insight into whether the police use coercion and how this is achieved, we looked at the extent to which the interrogators make use of certain interrogation techniques and how the interrogation techniques are used to exert coercion. We found that legal advice from a lawyer before and during the interrogation corresponds with suspects more often using their right to silence. It also appears that the police are inclined to use ‘hard coercion’ when confronted with a silent suspect. The research thus raises the question as to whether the presence of a lawyer is an adequate way to prevent false confessions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

THE EFFECTS OF MODELLING ON THE CONTINGENT PRAISE OF MENTAL RETARDATION COUNSELLORS

A multiple-baseline design was used to evaluate the effects of a simple modelling procedure on the contingent praise of five counsellors while they conducted hygiene-training sessions in toothbrushing and hand-and-face washing with severely retarded children. After varying numbers of baseline sessions, each counsellor watched a model who conducted a series of toothbrushing sessions, in which he conspicuously praised correct toothbrushing responses and approximations to correct responses. No modelling occurred during hand-and-face washing sessions. As a result of several exposures to the model's performance, levels of response-contingent praise provided by four of the five counsellors during toothbrushing sessions increased sharply over baseline. The levels of counsellor praise showed parallel increases during hand-and-face washing sessions. A two-week followup showed that the levels of praise obtained through modelling were maintained in the model's absence.     

THE EFFECT OF MODELLING ON DRINKING RATE

Three male college seniors were asked to drink beer at their normal rate in a simulated tavern setting. Each was paired with a confederate, also a male college senior, in an ABACA single subject design. In the baseline conditions, the confederate matched the drinking rate of the subject. Baseline and all subsequent conditions were continued in 1-hr sessions until a stable drinking rate was achieved. In Condition B, the confederate drank either one third more or one third less than the subject's baseline rate. In Condition C, the direction was reversed. All three subjects closely matched the confederate's drinking rate, whether high or low. All subjects reported they were unaware of the true purpose of the study.     

Critical Issues in the Assessment of Child Sexual Abuse

This article explores the feasibility of using standardized psychometric methods in the initial stages of an investigation of child sexual abuse; methods that are less intrusive and therefore less damaging to children and their families. We review the complex conceptual and research issues that arise from attempts to assess the many-sided aspects of child sexual maltreatment. Among those considered in both the clinical and research spheres are problems of definition and diagnosis; limitations of clinical interviews, and a variety of direct and indirect psychological instruments used for investigating sexual maltreatment and risk assessment; the inadequacies of experimental designs; and also the political, practical, and ethical restraints that hinder research in this area. It is argued that there is insufficient evidence based on controlled studies or standardized normative tests to advocate any simple, unidimensional methodology for the screening task. However, recommendations are put forward for the cautious, conjoint use of several procedures in a multidimensional approach to assessing child sexual abuse. Suggestions are also made for future research and development.     

Family-Focused Relational Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach and Its Application to Adult Children of Divorce

This paper presents an integrative model of treatment—family focused relational psychotherapy—and applies it to work with adult children of divorce (ACDs). Three areas of assessment are identified—(a) assessment of individual ego development, (b) assessment of family of origin functioning, and (c) assessment of the nature of the parents' divorce (e.g., level of conflict). Based on this assessment, the treatment model is presented, which integrates strategies from relational/psychodynamic therapy, family of origin work, and experiential techniques. Case examples are presented to demonstrate the appropriate integration of these techniques with clients at different levels in the assessment schema. In addition, a review of the literature on the long-term effects of divorce on children suggests several specific issues that may arise in treatment. These include low self-esteem, emotional distress, externalizing problems, and interpersonal problems such as fear of commitment, difficulty trusting, a high rate of divorce, and strained relationships with parents.     

Validité de construit d’une épreuve de jeu de rôle dans le cadre d’un centre d’évaluation chez des officiers de marine.

The present study was designed to obtain validity estimates for a role-play test. Participants were 125 french Navy officers who were rated by a pool of professional assessors and psychologists. All the assessors received reccurring training sessions, focusing on the behavioral checklist, on rating errors, and on share frame of reference. The assessment procedure included role play exercise, cognitive ability scale (g factor) and personality scale (big five factors). First, exploratory factor analyses were conducted on the data gathered, and four factors were identified (authoritarianism, oral communication, consideration with others and frankness). In a nomological perspective, we also analysed the links between the exercises dimensions, personality inventorie and intelligence scale. The findings suggest that role play dimension, personality and intelligence seem to measure different thinks.     

Les nouvelles technologies au service des personnes âgées : entre promesses et interrogations - Une revue de questions

Based on a literature review, this article proposes to discuss the psychosocial stakes dependent for the use of new technologies for the elderly. This reveals that if these devices have undeniable assets which can contribute to improve comfort and with the quality of life of the elders, he does not remain about it less than the fast development of these technologies also cause a series of interrogations relating to the maintenance of the psychic and social integrity of these users. These systems can thus cause a new form of dependence (with the technical assistance) and accentuate - paradoxically - the stigmatization of people by the construction of a new profile: “the technically assisted elders”.