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Archive for mental health disorders

November Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· December 4, 2018 
· No Comments

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melody Beattie

Blog

There is a new mobile app that assists teens with medical and emotional challenges in explore and trusting their feelings. Though the hardship is ever-present for theses young adults, they are rarely given an outlet. With the game Shadow’s Edge, they are provided psycho-educational content in a fun ad fulfilling game- right on their phones! Read full post here.

Articles

The University of North Carolina has conducted a study on the affect of familial relationships on bullying. It was found that adolescents with good familial relationships were more likely to correctly identify bullying when they saw it, as well as intervene. This is important because while bullying often takes place outside of the home, it is very much a process that can begin or end with a child’s life at home. Read more here.

Don’t suppress your emotions! It’s been long assumed that it’s better to hide negative feelings or thoughts from children, though it’s known to cause emotional distress to the suppressor. In a study conducted by Washington State University, it was discovered that emotional suppression is just as bad for children, as they pick up on the negativity and learn inadequate methods for coping. Instead, express your feelings in a healthy way and turn your negative feelings into a positive example! Read more here.

Jessica Minahan is a certified behavior analyst, special educator, and author. She is typically called into schools to assist with challenging behavior in the classroom. She identifies the most likely reasons for acting out as anxiety, ADHD, and depression. She arms teachers with tips to interact with and motivate anxious or defiant students. Read more here.

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Categories : Feelings, Monthly Wrap-Up, Wrap Up
Tags : anxiety, child development, childhood stress, feelings, mental health disorders, parenting, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapeutic games for teens

June Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· July 2, 2018 
· No Comments

Children learn as they play. More importantly, in play, children learn how to learn.

-O. Fred Donaldson

Blog

Another great submission from Leah Davies highlights the importance of encouraging thoughts for children. Leah has tips on how to provoke children to encourage themselves as well as their peers. Examples of positive “self-talk” from Leah’s list include, “It’s OK to make mistakes because everyone does” and, “Each new day brings a chance to do better.” Learning to encourage themselves and others teaches children the value of a positive disposition, and helps them to manage peer relations. Read more here.

Articles

A study conducted in the 60’s has been given new life. The marshmallow test was used to measure the impulsiveness of children by giving them one marshmallow to eat immediately, or wait and get two marshmallows later. The initial test found that most children couldn’t wait for the better deal. Surprisingly, the test re-administered to today’s youngsters told a different story. Researchers are looking to credit technological advances for today’s children’s higher IQ levels, which may lead to higher self-control. Read full article here.

A new study has found that there is no difference in the developmental outcomes for children of same-sex versus different-sex marriage. The study followed lesbian mothers, gay fathers, and heterosexual couples. While there were no findings that one type of family unit performed better or worse than the others, it was found that parents in unhappy relationships reported more problems with their childrens’ behavior. Read full article here.

Christopher J. Ferguson, a professor  of psychology at Stetson University, claims that addiction to technology is “rubbish.” According to his research, the chemical reaction in the brain while having “screen time” is similar to that of other play-time activities, such as swimming, reading for leisure, or conversing. True addictive substances tend to drive the brain’s levels of dopamine much much higher  than the body can naturally produce. Read full article here.

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Categories : Child Development, Feelings, Impulse Control, Monthly Wrap-Up, Parenting, Wrap Up
Tags : child therapy, child therapy toys, childhood stress, feelings, mental health disorders, Play Therapy

March Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· April 2, 2018 
· No Comments

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglas

Blog

The internet can be a wonderful source of information and learning for young students, but it can also be a scary place for teens, and a difficult place for parents to monitor.  Fortunately, there are tools to help parents and adolescents.  In this blog about teen cyber-safety, we outline some on the problem areas on the internet, as well as the tools to educate young teens on the dangers of the internet and how to stay safe. Read more here!

Articles

A new study from the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at McGill University in Montreal, Canada suggests that autistic children benefit from being bilingual. “In the first study of its kind, scientists show that bilingual children with autism spectrum disorders can switch mental gears more easily than those who can only speak one language.” It’s common that autistic children have difficulty transitioning between tasks, and studies shows that being bilingual improves executive functioning. Researchers set out to find if being bilingual could help executive flexibility in children with ASD. Read full article here.

Video gaming among children and adolescents is a much debated topic. Can a person become addicted to gaming? Nancy Petry, a professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and editor of the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors explains gaming disorder, how to identify it, and how to seek help. While gaming disorder effects a very small number of people, gaming as become a very popular pass-time for all ages of players, and it’s important to be aware of potential problems.  Read full article here.

Studies have shown that adolescents who perform non-fatal self-harm are 26.7 times more likely to commit suicide within the next year. Though self-harm is not always performed with suicidal intent, the risks of repeat self-harm and possibly eventually suicide are related and high.  In this article, Molly Walker of MedPage Today highlights studies and statistics on who is more commonly at risk, and what preventative measures can be taken. Self-harm is never simply a cry for attention and should be taken very seriously. Read full article here. 

 

 

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Categories : Autism, Behavior, Depression, Executive Functioning, Monthly Wrap-Up, Parenting, Wrap Up
Tags : child play therapy toys, child therapy toys, childhood stress, counseling games, family roles, feelings, mental health disorders, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, teens, therapy toys

The Parents’ Guide to Discussing ’13 Reasons Why’ With Your Child by Jennifer Taylor

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· August 24, 2017 
· 1 Comment

 Netflix launched a new show at the end of March 2017 called ’13 Reasons Why” that has drawn a lot of buzz in therapy circles and parenting groups.

Like most popular culture, it succeeds at keeping you in suspense enough to watch multiple episodes in a row. In fact, your teens are probably staying up late watching it now (if they haven’t already).

Premise of ’13 Reasons Why’

According to Netflix, the premise of the show is

“After a teenage girls perplexing suicide, a classmate receives a series of tapes that unravel the mystery of her tragic choice.”

So, basically a girl (Hannah) commits suicide but instead of leaving a note, she leaves a series of tape recordings explaining how the other kids at her school contributed to her decision to take her life.

Each of them gets a piece of the responsibility or blame. The show combines snippets of Hannah’s life prior to the suicide with interactions of the remaining students afterwards told from the point of view of her “friend” Clay.

**Possible Spoiler Alert

Criticism of ’13 Reasons Why’

As you might guess, this show has elements that make some parents uncomfortable.  Like most high schools around the country, this school has issues that parents don’t always like seen displayed so graphically.

Among the concerns are:

  • Underage alcohol use & binge drinking
  • Marijuana Use
  • Profanity
  • Sexual Content and Language
  • Homosexuality
  • Sneaking/Lying
  • Violence
  • Bullying
  • Rape
  • AND the big one: the suicide scene

Examples:

The show opens with a typical house party with kids drinking alcohol (one of many alcohol scenes). Later in the show, a girl is raped while passed out from drinking too much. Those who know about it do nothing.

One main character is frequently smoking weed from a bong and is often high at school.

Another group of kids come to the school costume contest dressed in scuba gear and call themselves “muff divers.”

In one scene, characters refer to Hannah has being “DTF” – which for my friends who have not had the guilty pleasure of watching MTV’s Jersey Shore shenanigans means “Down to F@ck”

And don’t forget, there is the rape and then it specifically shows Hannah’s suicide.

Cautions Against “13 Reasons Why’ From Experts

Despite the array of Tweets and the press that says that this show brings positive attention to the topic of suicide, experts are not convinced.  In fact, many of the agencies or foundations that focus on depression, mental health and suicide are concerned that this show sends the wrong message about suicide.

Not The Right Way To Handle Suicide Coverage

This article explains how the show violates nearly all of the recommendations about media coverage for suicide from ReportingOnSuicide.org.  These recommendations include NOT sensationalizing the suicide, NOT talking about the suicide note, AND not describing (or showing in graphic detail) the suicide method.  ’13 Reasons Why’ gets it wrong on all counts.

Not An Accurate Depiction of Mental Health

Moreover, the show fails to address depression or mental health/illness in any significant way. Among the ’13 Reasons’ is not a history of mental health or depression (the most common risk factor in completed suicides). This is especially disappointing given that the executive producer, Selena Gomez, has been quite vocal about her own struggles with anxiety and depression.

Not Helpful For Perpetuating Survivor’s Guilt

Another big complaint is that it perpetuates the belief that the other students are to BLAME for Hannah’s suicide.  While, it does an “okay” job of discussing the concept of survivors guilt, the students involved are mostly more concerned about keeping the story a secret and avoiding any consequences or repercussions.

Can Be A Trigger For People With Mental Health or Trauma

Due to the content, the discussions and images have reportedly been a negative trigger for some people who watch the show.  This is not to say that people who watch ’13 Reasons Why’ will take their life; but more that it can trigger additional feelings of depression, loneliness and hopelessness.

Reasons Why You Might Want To Watch It

This show has prompted a lot of discussion among my therapist friends about the value of watching the show.  There’s really only two main reasons that are cited:

  1. It is helpful to be “in the know” about things that are popular with teens. (That’s the reason that I watched it)
  2. The show can be a prompt for deep and meaningful discussions between therapists and clients and between children and parents.  *Note: I said it CAN BE.  In the actual show, teens and parents failed to have any significant positive discussions about Hannah’s death or the aftermath.But in real life, there have been meaningful discussions about it.

’13 Reasons Why’ Discussion Questions

My recommendation is that if your child is remotely interested in this show, that you watch it with your child.

Really, together. On the same couch at the same time! Then spend some time talking about the key points in each episode.  Because this show is based on Jay Asher’s book of the same name, there are dozens of book club lists with discussion questions available if you look for them.

The Jed Foundation has also released this great list of talking points. 

What Therapists Discuss

If you want discussion questions specifically used by child counselors, you can borrow some of the ones that came up in our discussion board.  Included are:

  1. What impact does Hannah’s suicide have on her parents, the school and her classmates?
  2. Why do you think none of the students discussed the tapes with their parents?
  3. What is the difference between shame and guilt? Which characters feel guilty for their actions and which are ashamed?
  4. What might have happened if Hannah had responded differently to Tyler in the very beginning-could there have been a different butterfly effect?
  5. What could Courtney have done differently or how could she have handled the situation differently rather than throw Hannah under the bus?
  6. Does Hannah’s use of the tapes create risks for additional suicides? How do her actions affect the lives of the people on the tapes?
  7. How does keeping a secret affect people? How do the characters change when they start to talk about or reveal their secrets?
  8. How does the school counselor let the students down? What can you do if an adult doesn’t do their job well or isn’t helpful?
  9. Who can you go to for support when you are stressed? What it is about that person/people that is the most helpful?
  10. Have you ever thought about hurting yourself or taking your life?

AND BONUS – My Favorite Discussion Question of All Time

’13 Reasons Why’ is basically an updated version of one of my most memorable group activities from my Bachelor’s program at the University of West Florida.  I vividly remember being asked to complete “The Drawbridge Exercise” and subsequently being labeled as “oppositional” due to my response.

’13 Reasons Why’ & The Drawbridge Exercise

The Drawbridge exercise tells a story about a woman who is told by her jealous husband not to leave the gates of a castle or she will be “severely punished.’ Shockingly, she leaves.  And, of all places, goes to visit a lover.  On her way back, a gateman is waiting and says if she attempts to cross the bridge, she will be killed. She then returns to the lover for help and he refuses.  She asks several other characters for help and all refuse.  Receiving no help, she returns to the bridge and is killed by the gateman.

The Question is “Who Is To Blame?”

In class, our group was then instructed to assign levels of responsibility for her murder to all of the people in the story that refused to help her, the husband that ordered the murder and the gateman himself.  You are to rank them from 1-6 in order of “most responsible” to “least responsible.”

And that is  a great discussion question for the cast members of  ’13 Reasons Why.’

Who is the most responsible or least responsible for Hannah’s death? Can you rank the characters in order of blame? Are any of them at fault? 

Now, obviously, there is a HUGE difference between homicide and suicide.  I think we can all find it easier to assign blame in a murder.

Nevertheless, the concept that there is someone to BLAME is an ethical question brought up in the show.  In ’13 Reasons Why’ the characters struggle with feeling like  ‘we are all responsible for Hannah’s death” and that “Hannah made the decision to take her life and she is the one to blame.”

It is basically a new age version of “The Drawbridge Exercise.”  And it is an interesting discussion about assigning blame or responsibility for tragedy.

But, back to the drawbridge…

Wondering What I Said?

Remember…I was 19 years old and thought the world was simple.

I said, “The only person responsible for the woman’s death is the gateman.  He is number 1 through 6. Everyone else is zero.”  

My instructor did not like that.  He thought I wasn’t taking the discussion seriously. I was labeled oppositional.

Mental health experts will also disagree with a discussion question that assigns blame to survivors for a suicide.  But, I think it is a good way to bring about a discussion about regrets.   In this YOLO / NO REGRETS world that high schoolers are in, it might be nice to talk about how your actions have consequences, even if you didn’t have bad intentions.

Final Thoughts

Now that I am not 19 (thankfully), I see more gray areas than I did in my college Social Justice class. In therapy there are these things called “duty to warn” and “duty to protect” that hold me responsible for failure to act in cases of potential suicide or homicide or abuse/neglect.

But more than that, I see both sides.  Our actions do have consequences.  Too often we fail to see how we influence others (in both positive and negative ways).  We are ultimately responsible for our own choices, but know this….

HOPELESSNESS is the biggest predictor of suicide.  Without assigning blame, make an effort to do what you can to prevent hopelessness in those around you.

*Not sure when take a suicide threat seriously-read more here. 

See more from Jennifer Taylor here: Jennifer Taylor Play Therapy.

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Categories : Anxiety, Behavior, Depression, Reader Submissions, Self-Esteem, Trauma and Grief
Tags : aggression, anger, child therapy, childhood stress, depression, feelings, mental health disorders, teens

May Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· June 9, 2017 
· No Comments

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.”

–  Roger von Oech (President, Creative Think)

 

Blog

Thanks to Amy Flaherty for helping us get the sand toys organized. Shelf by shelf she reshaped the room that helps her client’s shape their sandtrays! If you need to organize your playroom and you need ideas for how, this is the post for you! Click here to read more!

Stacy Garcia re-invented the classic board game Sorry! and made it a great fit for her play therapy practice. Stacy believes that any game can be implemented as an effective tool for intervention and to help her clients learn.  Read about how she uses Sorry! here.

Articles

The Stellenbosch University of South Africa has done a study that shows that the emotional and behavioral health of teens with PTSD can be dramatically improved with therapy intervention. The treatment consisted of prolonged exposure therapy or supportive counselling in up to 14 sessions of 60 to 90 minutes each. The children who received the individual therapy maintained the benefits of the counseling longer then those who received group therapy session. For more information click here.

A new medication is being tested for autistic children that is thought to be helpful in children up to 14 years old. Tests so far on the drug have an effect that “restarts a more normal pattern of neurological development.” More testing is needed on the drug before it will be approved and available to the public. For more information click here.

While medication can be helpful to children with ADHD, a new study has shown that a more effective treatment may include Neurofeedback (NF), a form of behavioral therapy which aims to build skills in cortical self-regulation, in addition to medication. There are still more studies needed for NF training and its effect on children with ADHD. For more information click here.

 

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Categories : ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Behavior, Child Development, Monthly Wrap-Up, Wrap Up
Tags : development, feelings, mental health disorders, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapy intervention, therapy toys

April Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· May 2, 2017 
· No Comments

“Whoever wants to understand much must play much.” – Gottfried Benn (German physician 1886–1956)

Blog

Thanks to Clair Mellenthin for her submission about spring cleaning. Clearing out and letting go of physical, emotional, and mental baggage can make for a cleaner playroom and a happier you! Check out Clair’s tips to a happier, freer space here!

 

Articles

The Southern Sandtray posted 50 free sandtray directives! These are great ideas for building trays with a variety of topics and subjects. Try some or all of these directives with your clients.

The autism spectrum is very broad and interventions vary dramatically from child to child. two key factor that rings true for all intervention plans is: the earlier the better, and make it a team effort! All parties- parents, teachers, and treatment providers- must be in communication and working together to make the treatment effective. Consistency is key.

According to research done by researchers at the University of Rochester Mt. Hope Family Center and the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, children benefit from their mother’s therapy. Research has shown that mothers with depression who participated in interpersonal psychotherapy became better at reading and understanding their toddler’s temperament, essentially making them better parents, while the toddlers became less fussy and angry, making them easier to parent. The relationship thrives which is better for mother and child’s development.

Some pediatricians  have started asking their young patients to complete a questionnaire about depression. Early detection of depression in children and teens is crucial to ensure that they receive the care and support they need. Childhood depression is much more common than healthcare professionals knew in previous years. It is important to recognition of mental illness as well as awareness for physicians to always question and screen for mental illness in their young patients.

 

 

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Categories : Child Development, Depression, Intervention Ideas, Monthly Wrap-Up, Wrap Up
Tags : development, family roles, feelings, mental health disorders, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapy intervention

March Play Therapy Wrap Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· March 28, 2017 
· No Comments

girl spinning

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.”

– Kay Redfield Jamison, professor of psychiatry

 

Blog

Thanks to Leah Davies for the insights and tips into aggression in girls. Aggression, or bullying, with girls is often different than aggression in boys, as boys tend to cause physical harm, where aggression in girls manifests itself as covert or relational aggression. Relational aggression is when a  person uses manipulation to withhold friendship as a form of punishment, or creates problems within the relationships of others in an attempt to control or punish others. Because girls typically value their personal relationships with other girls, this type of bullying can be very damaging. Davies explains how schools and parents can increase awareness of the issue as well as prevent further bullying in the classroom.

Articles

Sandplay Therapy is a unique and effective tool for children in therapy. It’s a great resource for younger children who dont have the vocabulary to put into words how they are feelings. During sandplay therapy, chidlren and adults use various toys and objects to create a scene in their sandbox. The scene is then interpreted by the child’s therapist and talked about with the Child. “Through play, children work through many types of life lessons, conflicts and mysteries,” said  S. Sugatt, a licensed clinical social worker.

Arunima Basu’s article highlighting the symptoms and concerns for children who have been or are being abused. Some tale-tale signs of abuse in a child are isolation, lack of interest in usual activities, sleep disturbance, and chronic stress. Basu tells us that it is the responsibility of the family of the child to watch for the signs of abuse and communicate with the child so that they understand what inappropriate behavior is and can identify when it is happening to them.

Research has shown that childhood trauma can reshape the brain and behaviors of children. “Previously, what were labeled as behavioral and learning-related issues, such as non-compliance, learning disabilities, depression, oppositional disorder and even Attention Deficit Disorder, are undergoing a reexamination as the understanding of the effects of traumatic stress on a child’s brain grows,” said Theresa O’Neil of Second Wave Michigan. Rather than ask what is wrong with the child, we should be asking what happened, and how can we help.

Veronica Mackey also shared tips on how to stop bullying on campuses. Mackey introduced James Gavsie, an author, martial arts and bullying expert. According to Gavsie, without continuous support and instruction on the topic of bullying, schools will never see the changes needed. Gavsie provides insights and tips on how teachers and parents can stop bullying and implement programs at schools to keep bullying under control.

It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men. That is the motto of ToyBank, a company that has set up 277 toy libraries and game centers in Maharashtra. ToyBank understands the strong mental and social benefit children can have from playtime with peers. Board games and toys are used as tools to help children learn about academic subjects, such as math and reading, as well as learn about themselves and their own bodies and feelings. The games are determined based on the needs of the children. ToyBank does not use games that promote violence or lifestyle toys.

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Categories : Monthly Wrap-Up, Wrap Up
Tags : board games, development, family roles, feelings, games, mental health disorders, Play Therapy, sand tray miniatures, therapy intervention, therapy toys

Eleven Warning Signs of Mental Illness in Children & Adolescents

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· November 10, 2011 
· No Comments

The “Action Signs” Project is a new tool kit to help identify children with mental health disorders. Approximately fifty percent of serious mental health conditions manifest themselves by the age of fourteen and as many as one in ten youngsters has a serious mental health condition that impairs their functioning in either home or school or in the community.  Family practice doctors and pediatricians are in an ideal position to identify these children, and the eleven signs identified in The “Action Signs” Project can be extremely useful.

The “Action Signs” Project  tool kit that was recently released by the REACH institute and was funded by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The authors of the tool kit spent the last ten years sifting through studies and interviewed more than 6,000 families and children in an effort to identify the most efficient and simplest method for identifying the most serious mental health disorders.

The researchers identified eleven signs that require immediate action. They include severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships, intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities, sadness that lasts more than two weeks, or sudden and overwhelming fear brought on for no apparent reason.

Dr. Peter Jensen, a Mayo professor of psychiatry, was the principal investigator on this study. He noted that there is frequently a disconnect that occurs between what a child says and how a parent interprets that message.  For example, four to five percent of parents respond “yes” when asked if their child has “ever talked about wanting to kill himself or made a plan to do so?”  But then, when a follow up question is asked, “Has he seen anyone for that,’ they’ll say ‘no’ two out of three times,” Jensen said in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio.  Jensen said part of the problem is that parents don’t always recognize when the threats or behaviors their children display aren’t normal.

The 11 action steps listed in The “Action Signs” Project are designed to make these situations very clear. For example a child who has severe Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is described in these 17 words: “extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that puts you in physical danger or causes school failure”.

It should be noted that that the eleven action signs won’t be able to identify every child with a mental health problem. The developers of the tool kit suggest the tool kit will identify at least half of the children who are currently undiagnosed.

These are the eleven signs:

  • Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks.
  • Seriously trying to harm or kill yourself, or making plans to do so.
  • Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart or fast breathing.
  • Involvement in many fights, using a weapon, or wanting to badly hurt others.
  • Severe out-of-control behavior that can hurt yourself or others.
  • Not eating, throwing up, or using laxatives to make yourself lose weight.
  • Intense worries or fears that get in the way of your daily activities.
  • Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that puts you in physical danger or causes school failure.
  • Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.
  • Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.

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Categories : ADHD, Behavior, Research and Case Studies, Uncategorized
Tags : Action Signs Project, mental health disorders
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