Kids' Club Letters: Narrative Tools for Stimulating Process and Dialogue in Therapy Groups of Adolescents and Children

258 Pages·2009·4.78 MB·English

by  Georgia Degangi

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Routledge Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group
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International Standard Book Number: 978-0-415-99432-3 (Paperback)
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DeGangi, Georgia A.
Kids’ club letters : narrative tools for stimulating process and dialogue in therapy groups for
children and adolescents / by Georgia A. DeGangi and Marc A. Nemiroff.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-415-99432-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Group psychotherapy for children. 2. Narrative therapy. I. Nemiroff, Marc A. II. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Psychotherapy, Group--methods. 2. Adolescent. 3. Child. 4. Correspondence as Topic.
5. Narration. WS 350.2 D317k 2009]
RJ505.G7D44 2009
618.92’89152--dc22 2009009421
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the Routledge Web site at
http://www.routledgementalhealth.com
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Contents
Th e Th erapeutic Technique: Using the Group as an “Advice Column” vi i
Format of the Book ix
Narrative Th erapy as a Treatment Modality xi
Cast of Characters xv
Acknowledgments xxx i
Part I Identity Formation and Understanding Oneself 1
1 “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Who Is the Smartest, Cleverest, Cutest,
and Bravest of Th em All?” Children Talk about Identity 3
2 Th e Square Peg in a Round Hole 15
3 Jack Sprat Got too Fat, His Wife Got too Lean 23
4 F rom Butterfl y to Moth: Adolescent Metamorphosis 35
5 Back-Stage or On-Stage 45
6 To Be or Who to Be: Th e Question for Parents and the Budding Adolescent 53
7 An Unfocused Lens: Th e ADHD Child’s Perspective 65
8 “What’s Wrong with Me?” 79
9 “Jumping Out of My Skin” 87
Part II Interpersonal Eff ectiveness 99
10 Living with a Short Fuse 101
11 Behind Closed Doors 117
12 Who’s the Boss? “I’m the Boss!” 125
v
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vi • C ontents
13 Alone on a Desert Island 133
14 Tell Me Master What to Do! I’ll Do Anything ...
To Be Popular Like You 145
15 Th e Sibling Battleground: Friend or Foe? 159
16 Aliens and Earthlings: Which One Am I? 167
17 I’m the Best! Right? 179
18 Impulsivity vs. Social Inhibition: “I’m too Scared to
Speak” vs. “I Couldn’t Help Myself” 187
Part III Emotional Regulation 195
19 “ Feeling Blue” 197
20 Look Out! I’m Going to Explode! 207
21 Wringing My Hands! 215
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The Therapeutic Technique: Using the
Group as an “Advice Column”
Th is book, unique in its presentation, is intended for mental health professionals and
educators. It provides an innovative approach to g roup psychotherapy for school-aged
c hildren who experience a range of primarily co-existing social, emotional, and c onstitutional
problems. A narrative therapy approach was adapted, taking the form of letters, written by
the therapist in the voice of a ch ild asking for advice about interpersonal or emotional
problems. Th e “child” in the letter is asking for guidance from the participants in several
diff erent groups of children in group psychotherapy. Th e letters were written with the goals
of helping structure responses within each group, and allowing the young participants to
address issues that were specifi cally relevant to them. Th e children in these groups experi-
enced diffi culties discussing these issues spontaneously, and hence the “Dear Kids’ Club”
letter format was born. Th e children did not know that the therapist had written the letters.
Th e topics for the “Dear Kids’ Club” letters were generated aft er several years of qualitative
observations by Dr. DeGangi to determine the kinds of problems that children seek or need
help with in a group psychotherapy context. Th e authors selected the letters for this volume
based on how the issues cluster in specifi c themes, such as identity, competence, stress man-
agement, confl ict-resolution, mood regulation, and interpersonal eff ectiveness. Th e authors
have chosen to focus on those letters that elicited the most helpful and interesting indi-
vidual and group responses. Diff erences by age, gender, and diagnoses of the children (e.g.,
Asperger’s syndrome, anxiety disorders, attention-defi cit disorders, and regulatory d isorders)
are discussed and demonstrated by the wide range of responses that each letter elicited.
Dr. DeGangi was the author of the letters, as well as the primary therapist in the groups.
She is the therapist speaking to the children in the group dialogues that appear verbatim in
this book. Th e “Dear Kids’ Club” letters were read to the children participating in t he
groups. Th en their responses were recorded and transcribed. Each group consisted of
approximately six children, all of the same gender. Th ere were two co-leaders; however, the
therapist responses in this book were those of Dr. DeGangi, who was trained as a clinical
psychologist.
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Format of the Book
Th e book is organized into three parts.
Part I: Formation of identity and self-understanding
Part II: Interpersonal eff ectiveness in the forms of problem-solving, decision-making,
leadership skills, and listening and conversational skills
Part III: Mood regulation including identifying and understanding emotions, modu-
lation of aff ect such as anger, and impulse control
Th e transcribed dialogues of the diff erent groups of children are unedited and provide
rich insights into the diff ering ways that children perceive and interpret their problems.
Further, the therapist’s responses, and the ensuing clinical discussions by the authors,
demonstrate how clinicians might guide group process to help children clarify, elaborate,
and understand the ideas and emotional meanings that may arise within any given group
session. Not all groups are featured with each letter. Instead, we selected those group ses-
sions that off er the reader insights into group process. Additionally, the authors speak to
each other about the prevailing group process and therapeutic decisions that must be made
at critical moments during sessions.
Dr. DeGangi and Dr. Nemiroff have decided, in keeping with the essentially conversa-
tional clinical material, to discuss the material in a parallel dialogue of their own. Aft er
reading the letters and responses aloud, they discussed and interpreted the children’s
dialogues and group process from the perspective of four vantage points. Th e authors
discuss the interplay of attachment, psychodynamic, constitutional/regulatory factors, and
interpersonal or group dynamics as they arise. Th ey highlight dynamic shift s in the group
process and identify defense mechanisms, both adaptive and maladaptive, as they occur.
Drs. Nemiroff and DeGangi explore the emotional meanings underlying how children
describe their thoughts and feelings. At times, the children had a u nique perspective on
problems due to their own capacity for attachment, past experiences, constitutional diffi -
culties, and individual strengths and weaknesses. Many of the children participating in
the groups had d iagnoses including ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome, sensory integrative
dysfunction, language learning disabilities, depression, or anxiety. Th e se developmental
and emotional problems had direct impacts on each child’s experience of his social world.
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