Objective: To assess the effectiveness of psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. Method: The Cochrane Collaboration's criteria for data synthesis and study quality assessment were used. Electronic bibliographic databases and web searches were used to identify randomized and…

This study explored the clinical profiles of 77 female teenager survivors of sexual abuse and examined the association of abuse-related and personal variables with suicidal ideations. Analyses revealed that 64% of participants experienced suicidal ideations. Findings from classification and regression tree analysis indicated that depression,…

A qualitative psychoanalytic clinical research project using a post-Kleinian contemporary approach was undertaken by a team of seven qualified and experienced child psychotherapists working in community Tier 3 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A number of referred young people who deliberately harmed themselves or attempted…

Research of childhood psychological maltreatment has documented a range of severe and long-lasting difficulties for children who experience this type of abuse. Consequences can include but are not limited to emotional and behavioural problems, low self-esteem, and relationship difficulties. Accordingly, the development of therapy programs to…

The power of new traumatic events to reignite memories and the distress of traumatic experiences earlier in life is well known to psychotherapists. When the recent trauma has been extreme, the task of assisting the patient to understand their response in the light of their earlier experience can be doubly challenging. This paper describes the…

Objective: Relying on indicators coded from information collected routinely during intake assessments at a secure inpatient psychiatric facility, this study examined the extent to which different forms of maltreatment accounted for variations in youths' emotional and behavioral problems. Methods: Clinical information was reviewed for a large (N =…

Brain imaging studies have demonstrated that psychotherapy alters brain structure and function. Learning and memory, both implicit and explicit, play central roles in this process through the creation of new genetic material that leads to increased synaptic efficiency through the creation of new neuronal connections. Although there is substantial…

Whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, children labeled sexually abused are routinely offered treatment at considerable financial cost. One result of this is that mental health professionals are being charged with exploiting the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA). Is the routine provision of psychotherapy for children and adolescents labeled…

Providing a complete overview of art therapy, from theory and research to practical applications, this is the definitive handbook in the field. Leading practitioners demonstrate the nuts and bolts of arts-based intervention with children, adults, families, couples, and groups dealing with a wide range of clinical issues. Rich with illustrative…

For too many traumatized children and their families, chronic stressors such as poverty, substance abuse, and family or community violence--coupled with an overburdened care system--pose seemingly insurmountable barriers to treatment. This empowering book provides a user-friendly blueprint for making the most of limited resources to help those…

In-patient care, provided at Tier 4 level, is a specialised field aimed at provision of high-quality care for young people with serious mental health problems. This survey investigates how the regional in-patient unit for children in Northern Ireland functioned. A retrospective investigation was performed of cases admitted under the care of the…

Uses case vignettes to explore poetry as phenomenological access point to the world of the abused child, serving a threefold function: (1) a window into the child's world; (2) a way to track the abused child's progress along the recovery process; and (3) a tool for transforming abused children's worlds, by allowing them to find their own unique…

In many disturbed and abused adolescents, acting out is the alternative to despair. The treatment task is to understand the significance of the acting out and to be able to give it a positive meaning. (Author/SJL)

Discusses which art therapy interventions were chosen to address the long- and short-term effects of sexual abuse, and provides theoretical and psychological documentation for each choice. Participants were evaluated using the Trauma Symptoms Child Checklist. Results document a reduction in the symptoms commonly associated with childhood sexual…

This study examined relationships among maltreatment experience, therapeutic alliance formation, and treatment outcome among 38 psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Results indicated that maltreatment, multiplicity of maltreatment, and type of perpetrator were all associated with initial alliance difficulties. Severity of interpersonal…