Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health

209 Pages·2010·3.02 MB·English

by  Christine Lynn Norton

INNOVATIVE INTERVENTIONS IN CHILD
AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH
Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health is a unique composite
of the literature on various innovative interventions for children and adolescents, and
provides a developmental and neurobiological rationale for utilizing innovative inter-
ventions with this population. Based on the latest research, this book emphasizes that
children and adolescents need more than just talk therapy. Th ese innovative inter-
ventions can be applied in a variety of practice settings including schools, juvenile
justice, community-based counseling centers, and residential treatment. Th is book
bridges the gap between theory and practice, and provides a historical, theoretical,
and research-based rationale, as well as a helpful case study, for each type of interven-
tion being discussed.
Christine Lynn Norton, Ph.D., LCSW, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Texas
State University-San Marcos, earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from Loyola
University Chicago in 2007. She has over fi ft een years experience working with high-
risk youth in a variety of settings including therapeutic wilderness programs, juvenile
justice, schools, and mentoring organizations, and she is passionate about researching
and utilizing innovative interventions with children and adolescents in order to pro-
mote healthy psychosocial and neurological functioning.
TITLES OF RELATED INTEREST FROM ROUTLEDGE
Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation Second Edition by Marla Berg-Weger
Human Behavior and the Social Environment Second Edition by Anissa Taun Rogers
Research for Eff ective Social Work Practice Second Edition by Judy L. Krysik and Jerry
Finn
Social Policy for Eff ective Practice: A Strengths Approach Second Edition by Rosemary
K. Chapin
Social Work Practice Second Edition by Julie Birkenmaier, Marla Berg-Weger, and
Marty Dewees
I N N O V A T I V E
INTERVENTIONS
I N C H I L D A N D
A D O L E S C E N T
MENTAL HEALTH
Edited by
CHRISTINE LYNN NORTON
Texas State University, San Marcos
First published 2011
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
© 2011 Taylor & Francis
Th e right of Christine Lynn Norton to be identifi ed as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors
for their individual chapters, has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereaft er invented, including photocopying
and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Innovative interventions in child and adolescent mental health / edited by Christine Lynn Norton.
p. ; cm.
1. Child psychotherapy. 2. Adolescent psychotherapy. I. Norton, Christine Lynn.
[DNLM: 1. Psychotherapy—methods. 2. Adolescent. 3. Child. 4. Infant. WS 350.2 I581 2010]
RJ504.I565 2010
618.92’8914—dc22
2010007396
ISBN 0-203-84500-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-87984-2 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-87985-9 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 978-0-203-84500-4 (ebk)
Th is book is dedicated to my children Mahalia, Will, and Wendell
who remind me each day of how important it is to create a healthy
and just society for young people.
And to my husband, Billy, for supporting me in this,
and every, endeavor.

CONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Reinventing the Wheel: From Talk Th erapy to Innovative Interventions 1
CHRISTINE LYNN NORTON
An overview of the developmental and neurobiological differences in children
and adolescents and the need for expanding mental health treatment beyond talk
therapy to include innovative interventions
2. Art Th erapy with Children and Adolescents: Inspiring Creativity and Growth 18
BARBARA PARKER-BELL
An overview of the history of art therapy, theory and research, and its application
to child and adolescent mental health issues
3. Wilderness Th erapy: Creating a Context of Hope 36
CHRISTINE LYNN NORTON
An overview of wilderness therapy including theory, research, and relevant
program examples and case studies that demonstrate the application of this
intervention with at-risk teens
4. Music Th erapy with High-Risk Youth: An International Perspective 75
CAROL LOTTER
An international perspective on utilizing music therapy with at-risk youth in
South Africa, as well as a broad overview of music therapy theory, research, and
applications cross-culturally
5. Animal-Assisted Approaches to Child and Adolescent Mental Health 96
JENNIFER BOGGS, PHIL TEDESCHI, AND FRANK ASCIONE
An overview of animal-assisted therapy with children and youth in a variety of
clinical settings and therapeutic populations
viii Contents
6. Bibliotherapy as an Intervention Approach for Children and Adolescents with
Emotional Disabilities 124
KAREN GAVIGAN, STEPHANIE KURTTS, AND MEGAN MIMMS
A review of the therapeutic applications of bibliotherapy in child and adolescent
mental health, including theory, research, and an applied case study
7. Meditative Practices for Children and Adolescents 141
BETSY WISNER AND JAMES J. STARZEC
An overview of the therapeutic implications of using meditation in child and
adolescent mental health, including theory, research, and applications to specifi c
youth populations and treatment settings
Epilogue: Th e Th ree As 162
CHRISTINE LYNN NORTON
A refl ection on the “Three As” framework for utilizing innovative interventions in
child and adolescent mental health within an asset-based paradigm of positive
youth development, social justice, and youth empowerment
References 171
Credit Lines 187
Contributors 188
Index 191
PREFACE
Concept for this Volume
Th e idea for Innovative Interventions in Child and Adolescent Mental Health began
with a paper that was presented at the University of Texas School Social Work Confer-
ence in February 2009. Dr. Christine Norton (Ed.) and Dr. Betsy Wisner (contributing
author), both faculty at the School of Social Work at Texas State University-San Mar-
cos, presented a paper titled “Innovative Interventions for Adolescent Group Work in
Schools: A Developmentally Grounded Approach.” In this paper, we discussed using
adventure-based group work and meditation to reach adolescents in a school setting
through more non-traditional mental health interventions. Th is presentation was
well received, and led to the concept of highlighting various innovative interventions
for children and youth in one text. Much like the paper that we presented, this book
focuses on providing a strong developmental and neurobiological rationale for why
innovative interventions are necessary in child and adolescent mental health. While
many practitioners have already been using creative approaches to working with
youth, the idea for this book was that it would bring together theory, research, and
practice through a variety of innovative intervention strategies. I wanted to include
interventions that are becoming increasingly more popular in the fi eld of child and
adolescent mental health, yet oft en without the theoretical or empirical grounding
needed for clinicians to engage in what the Council on Social Work Education refers
to as “research-informed practice.” Th at is why each chapter off ers a historical, theo-
retical, and research background on the intervention strategy that is covered.
Not only did I think it was essential to bring together these innovative interven-
tion strategies in one volume, but it was also important to me to balance advocating
for these approaches with a critical lens of taking into account the ethical and cul-
tural considerations of each intervention. Th is book highlights the need to use critical
assessment skills to decide for whom each intervention would be appropriate. It was
never the intention of this book to provide a one size fi ts all approach to treatment with
young people—quite the opposite. Instead, this book tries to provide multiple treat-
ment options to help mental health students and practitioners think outside of the
box, while still utilizing each intervention as an adjunctive approach to treatment.
While I feel that innovative intervention strategies are an important part of child
and adolescent mental health, I also feel that it is important to consider the client