Reclaiming Children and Youth articles from September 2008

Reclaiming Children and Youth archives from September 2008

Medicating relational trauma in youth: children who have experienced relational trauma present a host of problems and are often diagnosed with psychiatric disorders and then medicated. But there is evidence that commonly used drugs interfere with oxytocin or vasopressin, the human trust and bonding hormones. Thus, psychotropic drugs may impair interpersonal relationships and impede forming a therapeutic alliance.(Report)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There is a new diagnostic category emerging. Over the years, there has been a tremendous effort to understand the effects of early trauma on the developing child. What is now clearly understood is that many different...

The relationship trauma crisis: delinquency is strongly correlated with disruptions in positive interpersonal connections. Traditional approaches in juvenile justice only exacerbate this disconnection. Promising approaches strengthen bonds with youth and positive adults and peers in their community.(justice alerts)(Report)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When the Commission on Children At Risk--a group of 33 children's doctors, research scientists, mental health and youth service professionals--presented to the Nation its report on the crises of deteriorating mental...

Science discovers the reclaiming approach: pioneers in reclaiming youth sought to build relationships and environments that responded to the needs of "wayward youth." Now, neuroscience and trauma research show the primacy of human connections in assessment, treatment, and youth development.(the development audit)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Interventions with challenging children and youth are now being evaluated against principles emerging from research in brain science. Relationship-based models like Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) and Response...

The three pillars of trauma-informed care: all who interact with traumatized children in home, school, and community can make important contributions to healing and growth. This care involves actions to strengthen three pillars: safety, connections, and managing emotional impulses.
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The past decade has brought with it a greatly increased awareness about the impact of trauma on children, which has, in turn, led to a focus on the treatment of trauma-related conditions. Much of the recent...

The restorative justice center: an alternative to school detention.
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The traditional "stay silent, sit still, do nothing" school detention approach is a punitive and ineffective way to change behavior. It does little to create positive school climates. For children who have been...

The power of community: a Pennsylvania alternative school using restorative practices is operated by the Community Service Foundation/Buxmont Academy (CFS Buxmont). A student faces traumatic life challenges with the help of group problem-solving with supportive peers.(Reprint)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Matt sat quietly in the small conference room, recounting a recent experience that was a watershed in his young life. Matt has attended the Community Service Foundation/Buxmont Academy (CSF Buxmont) school, in...

Reclaiming our 'toughest' youth: some so-called "evidence-based" interventions are narrow methods which are justified by some quantitative research. This limited focus ignores broader qualitative studies showing that interpersonal relationships wield more impact than technique.(relationship beachheads)(Essay)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even a cursory review of youth-serving organizations demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of evidence-based approaches to youth work applied in these organizations have not been based on what might be termed...

Annie's journey to healing: ongoing traumatising life events can often cause a person to the have physical or emotional characteristics of one who is mentally disabled or autistic, making it easy to form a wrong first impression. The following is the story of one such person in a Positive Peer Culture program in a group treatment facility in Germany.(positive peer culture)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jugend-Kolleg am See, a residential treatment agency, is located in the very south of Germany, close to Switzerland and on beautiful Lake Constance. Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), who used hypnotherapy more than 175...

I am my own hero.(voices of youth)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was the girl that's been beaten But always fights. I was the silent girl That has no name, no light. The faking girl with the plastic smiles. Depressed girl who cries and aches. ...

The neurosequential model of therapeutics.
September 22, 2008... Going beyond the medical model, The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics maps the neurobiological development of maltreated children. Assessment identifies developmental challenges and relationships which contribute to risk or resiliency....

Clinician or witness? The intervener's relationship with traumatized children.
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To heal the hurt child, one begins not as a clinician but as a person trying to witness how the child experiences trauma. This requires more than just talking since the child's terrifying memories are stored in the...

The sanctuary model of trauma-informed organizational change.
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Sanctuary Model builds respectful culture in schools and treatment organizations so that troubled children--and those who work with them--are not subject to victimization. The therapeutic community addresses the...

"He gave me the finger!" The Manipulation of Body Boundaries Set Up Reclaiming Intervention is used when a bright, passive-aggressive youth sets up a more volatile peer to fight and get into trouble. Analogies are especially useful in helping "set-up" students gain a cognitive understanding of how they are being manipulated.
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Background Information Johnny is an 11-year-old boy of low cognitive ability who is diagnosed as Severely Emotionally Disturbed (SED) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is also currently...

Review of Beasts of No Nation and A Long Way Gone.(Book review)
September 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These two powerful books describe first-hand the process of how youngsters in Africa are being socialized to become violent, dangerous boy soldiers and the challenges of reclaiming these traumatized youth. The...