The importance of narrative therapy in healing children
Narrative theory essentially deals with use of narration to combat a certain mental disturbance or a trauma (Denborough,2014). There are two ways in which an episode is portrayed among which the first way includes the presentation of the episode aligned with the dominant perspective and the second episode includes the ignored or the subjugated perspective of the episode (Friedberg et al.,2015). This assignment would deal with the discussion and importance of ‘narrative therapy in children’ and delve deeper into performing a critical analysis on the same. The report would elaborate on developing a clear understanding of the importance of narrative therapy in children with reference to a critical review of the literature (Clark,2014).
Minors or little children are extremely vulnerable and innocent. Little emotions elicit a deep impact in their minds which makes it extremely important to handle children at their tender age with utmost care and affection (de Arellano et al.,2014). It is important to realize the fact that different children have different needs and possess the tendency of reacting to a particular situation in a unique manner (Grillies et al.,2013). There are children who need special attention or a softer approach and most of the times parents fail to recognize the same and start treating their ward as an ‘abnormal case’. Most importantly, the parents self diagnose their children to be abnormal on the basis of the difference in the reaction behavior expressed by the children with respect to the mainstream behavior expected by a child of that particular age to exhibit. As a result the parents rush to the counselors in need of immediate counseling so that their children can get normal as soon as possible. The children grow up believing that the particular manner in which they behave is unacceptable by the society and they are abnormal. This negative perspective which happens to be the dominant perspective leads to constant lowering of the confidence level in the kids and ultimately results in poor development of the child. Therefore, it is necessary for the counselors to identify the problems associated with the common misinterpretation of the behavioural patterns exhibited by these children and imply corrective therapies to help these children.
The paper highlights the use of narrative therapies to heal children who are subjected to a trauma at a tender age and as a result have developed an attitude entirely different from the other children of the similar age group (Turns & Kimmes,2014). The literature devises incorporating ‘play therapy’ to help children express their subjugated voice and efficiently deal with the effect of the trauma in a step wise manner. It is important to keep in mind according to the discussed strategies in the literature that the therapies would be implied to the children based on the developmental stage that they are in. The literature highlights the factors such as unsuccessful marriage or stress related to parenting as the primary issues that lead to the development of this kind of behavior among the children. Further, the literature discusses the possible options and the treatment models available that could be used by the psychologists to treat the minor case in an efficient manner. The treatment model devised in the paper is based on Erik Erikson’s psychologically social theory to ensure adequate and appropriate development of a children into an adult (McLeod,2013).
The need to understand the unique needs of children
The literature deals with the therapy designed to help children who are brought to the psychologists by their parents. The children are treated under the criteria of ‘involuntary clients’ (Vetere & Dowling,2016). There are three methods of interventions that has been discussed in the paper on the basis of some major conceptual principles used in psychology. The paper suggests the use of three types of therapy that are discussed as follows:
The most common principle devised for intervention by the psychologists use the theory of Externalizing that includes the possibility of being able to identify the cause of the problem as an external agent and not an internal complication (Lin & Bratton,2015). The difference in the treatment of the children by their parents leads them to grow up believing the fact that they are not normal and the root cause of abnormality lies in their inner self. In order to combat the problem, therapists believe in investigating the problem thoroughly with the help of an interview with the child. The questioning and cross questioning helps the psychologist to address the fact that the recurrent problem that the child is facing is due to the effect of an external entity and not because of any internal disability. Therapeutic sessions include involving the child in a one to one conversation and letting the child talk about and address the cause of the problem. Also, once the child is able to identify the problem as a result of an external cause, the therapist encourages the child to discuss episodes when the child was able to defeat the cause of the problem by means of personal virtue. The most important aspect of the intervention is to help the child learn that the cause of the problem as a separate entity from themselves (Looyeh et al.,2014). The concept of Externalizing does not need to be dispensed only by a therapist in the form of a therapy but it can also be used by the family members and it has been found that the use of this method of intervention by the family members of the child could help in the rapid recovery as family plays the most crucial role in the life of a child.
The pattern of the therapy devised by the psychologists include interventions using two different mechanisms which are listed as the ‘landscape of asking questions’ and the ‘landscape of consciousness questions’ (O’Connor,2015). The first methodology is mainly based on the fulfillment of the condition when the client is able to successfully seclude the problems from the personal life and is able to win over the problems most of the times. Therapists while using this method, become observers and closely take note of the exhibited behavior of the child while combating the personal issue. Being able to combat the problem helps in boosting up the confidence level of the child and next time the client faces a similar problem, he/ she is able to solve it on his own without any help based upon the past experiences of being able to overcome such complicated situations. The second methodology deals with identifying the positive qualities of the child that had helped them tremendously in being able to fight the problem. With repeated overcoming, the confidence level of the child rises up by leaps and bounds and therapists at this stage highlight the positive aspect of the behavior that had helped the child in critically winning over the situation. By this time, the client has almost regained confidence boost and the acknowledge of the therapist becomes secondary to them as they are able to recognize the positive element of the attitude that they possess on their own. The second method is only incorporated, once it is ensured that the client is highly motivated.
The impact of misinterpretation on children’s development
Play therapy used by therapists makes use of different kind of props that include puppets, dolls, crayons or clay models. Playing has been considered to be the most favorite activity of a child and therapists have built a concept of intervention on the same fact. Actions and reactions that children exhibit during play sessions help build a better perception about the character of the child (Kottman,2014). It is generally advised by the therapists to include the family members as well as the child in a ‘play session’ and make it evident to the parents through the session that the child is capable of being accepted similar to the way any other child of that age would be accepted by the society. Playing requires full control of the child and the concentration of the child in the task that has been assigned to him/her. It has been studied that the children are able to express their feelings in a better way when they engage themselves entirely in a play session that has been designed for them (Swan & Ray,2014). The activity of the children during these sessions are closely monitored by the therapists and most of the times the therapists believe in i8nvolving the family members of the child in the same session as that they engage the child in. This is done in order to let the parents develop an insight to the manner in which the child reacts or feels. These sessions in turn help in building a close family bond which is extremely important because children are involuntary clients who are brought to the psychologists for the treatment, irrespective of correcting evaluating the fact that the children are in need of an intervention or not. During ‘play sessions’ the clients are completely their original selves and it is concluded by the therapists that playing helps in understanding the different cascade of emotions that the child goes through in a better way which ranges from the feelings of happiness, sadness, anger to pain, hurt and feelings of competitiveness (Waxmonsky et al.,2013). At the same time, it is critical here to note that the theme of the ‘play sessions’ are designed, keeping in mind the developmental stage of the child and the ability of the child to deal with the theme designed for him/her.
Erik Erikson’s psychological stages theory has been built upon as an extension to Freud’s Psycho sexual development theory. Erikson has made use of Freud’s theory and compiled an overview of eight significant stages that each and every individual goes through in the entire tenure of their life (Sacco et al.,2013). Freud emphasized on the aspects of conscious and unconscious behavior, psycho sexual stages and psychological approach that is inherent in an Individual (Kline,2013). However Erikson believes in making use of the eight significant emotional cascade that an individual goes through at different developmental stages in order to develop better strategies for interventions. Out of the eight, the paper concentrates on only four of them which include the sample size of children aged between 2 to 18 years of age (Cherry,2017). The four most important emotional conflicts that an individual goes through according to the ascending order of the age groups include firstly the conflict involving autonomy versus shame, secondly initiative versus guilt, thirdly industry versus inferiority and finally original identity versus role confusion (Axline,2013). However it has been argued by researchers that the number of positive incidents in the life of an individual outnumbers the number of negative incidences. As a matter of fact it has been highlighted, no matter to what intensity an individual encounters the impact of a negative episode, he/she still believes in expecting a positive outcome and as a result maintain an optimistic approach towards life.
Corrective therapies to help children overcome their trauma
The paper by the author Turns & Kimmes (2014) highlights the feelings of helplessness and unacceptance of a child who is considered to be abnormal and unwanted on account of the difference in their behavior pertaining to the socially accepted behavior of all other children from the same age group. The paper discusses three most common interventions used by the therapists to treat these cases, however it is critical to note here that the paper does not elaborate the complicated emotional turmoil episodes that children between the age group of 2 to 18 years might go through (Sacco et al.,2013). The paper discusses about the theory of ‘externalization’ which means instilling the amount of confidence in the client such that the client is able to differentiate the cause of the problem as an external entity and not associate the problem to be a part of him. The process in which the concept of ‘externalization’ would be used has been discussed but the considerations related to the development stage of the child has not been mentioned. The gap in terms of recording and documentation of real responses from children who have been treated with a therapy is noted. The paper does not focus on the explanation of the critical incidences that the children usually encounter and the considerations that must be kept in mind while implying interventions. Hence, it can be said that the voice of the children are getting marginalized in terms of considerations.
The literature discusses the most common emotional problems that children at a tender age have to go through. The papers efficiently describe the problems associated with helicopter parenting and the vulnerability of the child in being able to express the complexities associated with emotional conflicts and associated trauma. The paper also elaborates on the conventional styles of interventions that are used by therapists to help the clients recover at a faster rate. However a literature gap has been observed in terms of being able to identify the initial stages of emotional complexities prevailing among the children by their parents which would help the parents in dealing with the emotional aspect of the child in a more rational way. The paper focuses mainly on the interventions that are used by the therapists for cure but does not elaborate the methodologies that could be used by the parents to identify the problems at the very initial phase. Although the paper states that most of the times, the parents misinterpret the difference in the behavior of their child as a result of an internal turmoil and rush to the counselors believing that the kids are abnormal and need professional help, but no appropriate discussion about the measures that could be adopted at home has been discussed in the paper. The paper deals with subjugated voice of the subject but at the same time does not focus on what are some of the complicated instances that children face and are unable to communicate to their parents. Therefore, an effective paper with a high impact value on the same topic of discussion would include the marginalized voice of the children who are victims of emotional trauma and the identification of the cause of trauma at the very initial phase in the life history of the child.
The relevance of Erik Erikson’s theory in children’s therapy
Children are considered to possess an innocent mind and a storehouse of energy which can be used to design interventions. Although ‘play therapy’ has been discussed in the paper and has been predicted to be the most useful and effective intervention that promotes a speedy recovery, but the same does not hold true in every case. This is primarily because each child has a different outlook towards different games. It has been noted that in most of the cases, the children are subdued to such an extent that they turn aloof and prefer in withdrawing themselves completely from the society. These children become extremely introvert and it becomes difficult for the therapists to engage such children in a group ‘play activity’. In such cases, the cause of such a shift in the behavior of the child must be explored as soon as possible to stop the worsening condition of the client. When in charge of such subjugated voices, a different therapy should be followed that might include ‘story telling’ and question answer sessions or a writing session. It must be noted that expression can be of various kinds and every individual has a different way of expression. Some people might resort to sketching or painting and some might prefer writing about their feeling or maybe share it with the help of a story. Providing various complicated life situations to a child and asking him about the manner of his reaction can help in identifying the problems. Once the problem is identified the therapist could involve the child in various other activities based on the intensity or the degree to which the problem has affected the life of the child. Incidents that require extremely introvert or subdued children to be counseled should preferably include different forms of therapy such as pseudo situational theory where in the therapist could virtually create a certain situation and take a closer look at the manner in which the child is reacting. Early identification of the problem helps in developing a faster intervention approach.
Conclusion:
After performing a critical analysis on the literature it can be said that because of the vulnerable nature of a child, the voice of a child is often marginalized and ignored. Every child is expected to behave in a certain way as accepted by the society but every child is special and has a unique way of expression. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that different children have different growth rates and the speed of development of a child cannot be generalized over all. Family is the first social group that the child becomes a member of and depends on for further development. Parents must encourage and motivate their children and maintain a close bond with them. If at any point of time, parents feel that their children are exhibiting a strange behavior which is not common, the first priority should be to understand the underlying reason for the same and not rush to a therapist believing that the behavior exhibited is abnormal. Children are innocent and it should be kept in mind at all instances that a child if taken to a therapist is an involuntary client and that whatever is being communicated to the child would get assimilated in him and he would grow up believing the same all his life. Parents are responsible for bringing a child into the world and hence no other person but the family should be able to understand the emotional feelings of a child. Spending quality time with children and involving in activities such as eating a meal together, praying together or going on short trips can help in building a strong bond with the child which would help in further development and wellness both physically and mentally. Lastly, it should be remembered that a happy child is nothing but an asset to the family.
References:
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