Yvonne Darlington

Reflective analysis: Techniques for facilitating reflection

This paper describes a number of techniques for facilitating reflective critical analysis as a means of eliciting in-depth reflections on practice. The authors have previously used similar techniques in the research context, to assist practitioners to identify and analyse the basis of their work with clients. The techniques presented in this paper have been adapted for use in social work education, including in class-based and field education contexts, and to professional supervision.

Children's Perceptions of Their Sibling Relationships During Parental Separation and Divorce

Abstract The central aim of this paper is to explore whether parental separation and divorce influence childrens experiences of the sibling relationship. In addressing this research aim, the paper draws on the first wave data from a longitudinal study of sibling relationships and adolescent adjustment to parental divorce. Participants include the adolescent children and their parents from 137 divorcing families, and from a comparison sample of 165 intact families. Adolescents reported on the quality of their relationship with their siblings by filling in questionnaires, and by participating in a semi-structured interview. Adolescent children from separating and divorced families were significantly more likely than children from continuously married (or intact) families to have affect-intense sibling relationships-that is, relationships characterised by high levels of both hostility and warmth. Adolescents related these aspects of the sibling relationship to their experiences of the separation and divorce of their parents, particularly the degree of conflict between parents and the absence of a father in the childrens day-to-day lives. Results are discussed in terms of the role of the sibling relationship in supporting children through parental separation and divorce.

Using Resilience to Reconceptualise Child Protection Workforce Capacity

Abstract Current approaches to managing and supporting staff and addressing turnover in child protection predominantly rely on deficit-based models that focus on limitations, shortcomings, and psychopathology. This article explores an alternative approach, drawing on models of resilience, which is an emerging field linked to trauma and adversity. To date, the concept of resilience has seen limited application to staff and employment issues. In child protection, staff typically face a range of adverse and traumatic experiences that have flow-on implications, creating difficulties for staff recruitment and retention and reduced service quality. This article commences with discussion of the multifactorial influences of the troubled state of contemporary child protection systems on staffing problems. Links between these and difficulties with the predominant deficit models are then considered. The article concludes with a discussion of the relevance and utility of resilience models in developing alternative approaches to child protection staffing issues.

Strategies for encouraging and maintaining hope among people living with serious mental illness

This paper reports part of the results of a study of hope in mental illness. The focus of this paper is on the mental health workers role in fostering and maintaining a sense of hope in people with serious mental illness. Six experienced mental health workers report on the strategies they use to foster and maintain hope in their clients; and six experienced consumers of mental health services report on things workers have done that have enabled them to develop or maintain a sense of hope. Approaches identified include: working within the clients frame of reference, focusing on the clients strengths, acknowledging small gains, making links to past gains, being genuine, helping clients to understand their illness, understanding the importance of achievement and holding on to hope when the client has none.

Conflict in Divorcing and Continuously Married Families: A Study of Marital, Parent–Child and Sibling Relationships

ABSTRACT Family members in both separated or divorcing and married families completed a range of questionnaires about the conflict in 3 relationships—couple, parent–child, and sibling—across 2 phases of the study approximately 12 months apart. In addition, the adolescents completed measures of adjustment: self esteem, depression, and anxiety. Adolescents in a subset of the divorcing families were interviewed about the conflict in their families across the 2 phases (107 at Phase 1 and 35 at Phase 2). Analyses showed that conflict was higher in the separated or divorcing families across all 3 relationships, and that the highest levels of conflict occurred for the high-conflict divorcing families. Qualitative data from interviews illustrated the nature of the conflict that was occurring.

Experiences of song writing in a group programme for mothers who had experienced childhood abuse

This article reports the reflections of five women who participated in a group programme that incorporated the technique of song writing. In particular, the women reflect on their experiences of a song writing process and how they engage with their song creations some time after the completion of the programme. The programme this qualitative research is based on was a parenting support programme for women who had experienced childhood abuse. It utilized the technique of song writing to assist participants who had had histories of abuse as children and who were currently struggling in their parenting roles. In-depth interviews were conducted with five programme participants three years after completion of the programme. All participants reflected positively on the process of creating their songs and most reported they continued to engage with their song creations present day.

From policy to practice: A program logic approach to describing the implementation of early intervention services for children with physical disability.

The benefits of providing early intervention services (including multidisciplinary therapy and family support) for children with physical disabilities and their families are widely acknowledged. Evidence, however, of their efficacy is not well documented. Furthermore, many studies fail to adequately describe the programs being evaluated and how these programs have been implemented by service provider organisations. From a policy perspective, evaluators need to be mindful of contextual variations in program implementation when examining initiatives and determining their efficacy. In this paper we discuss how implementation of a cross-organisational early intervention initiative policy for children with physical disabilities was enacted by three different service providers. In the present study, program logic was employed to identify and explore these variations in implementation. While each individual agency provided services and identified outcomes that were consistent with policy objectives, program delivery varied considerably across service providers.

Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Voices of Healing

In this article, we report on a phenomenological study of experiences of recovery of 7 women with histories of childhood maltreatment. We propose a model that recalls the Anglo-Franc etymological origins of rekeverer: to regain consciousness, health, or strength. Dimensions include development of a selfhood; tasks of connection and separation; regulation of overwhelming emotions; management of choices; and internalization of therapeutic relational dynamics. Based on the findings, we suggest that theory and research need to extend concepts of healing, add methodologies privileging victim/survivor voices, and revisit concepts such as neutrality and resistance as they apply to dissociative disorders. Practitioners should have specific training in trauma models, although they need to hold these theories lightly because therapeutic goals and pathways of change might well differ for each client. Integrated whole-of-government initiatives need to identify those at risk of abuse as early as possible, and provide response funding beyond assessment services.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy for complex trauma: targets, focus, applications, and outcomes

Complex trauma describes that category of severe, chronic interpersonal trauma usually originating in the formative years of a child. In the adult, this can result in global dissociative difficulties across areas of cognitive, affective, somatic, and behavioral functions. Targeting this field of traumatic pathology, this article reviews the contributions and developments within one broad approach: psychodynamic theory and practice. Brief descriptions of aspects of analytical, Jungian, relational, object relations, and attachment therapeutic approaches are given, along with understandings of pathology and the formulation of therapeutic goals. Major practices within client sessions are canvassed and the issues of researching treatment outcomes are discussed.

Beyond the Therapy Room: Women's Experiences of ‘Going Public’ with Song Creations

This paper describes the experiences of five women relating to the public performance of their work created in music therapy. Performance within this project included the recording of their work and a subsequent live performance at the launch of a CD created within the project. Programme participants were interviewed and asked to describe their experiences of the song writing process, including recording and the public performance of their work. All participants in the programme had experienced childhood abuse and as such their song creations were intensely personal and at times included painful memories. The women reported many different feelings during the recording and performance process. Overall, all participants found this process to be worthwhile. Case vignettes present the experiences of the women involved in the programme. The paper concludes with considerations for music therapy practitioners.