Telling the Stories of Our Lives: An Interview with John Gilgun

In a novel, a book of short stories, a book of fables, and two books of poems, as well as in numerous on-line publications, John Gilgun has proven himself one of the best undiscovered secrets of contemporary gay letters. This interview, conducted shortly after Gilgun retired from thirty years of teaching English and creative writing, reveals how he construes his sexuality as an integral component of his creative vision; indeed, for Gilgun, gayness drives both his sense of content and style. Gilgun also offers advice to young gay authors about what they should read and what themes should inform their work.     

Self-regulation of distance in supportive psychotherapy

The authors present the case of a schizophrenic man treated in the setting of a supportive care clinic. The course of treatment from beginning to termination is illustrated by treatment vignettes and by excerpts from the patient's letters to the therapists. Case discussion centers around the handling of the classic schizophrenic conflict over intimacy versus isolation. The authors stress that the therapists must be acutely sensitive to the patient's need and ability to regulate his or her own emotional and therapeutic distance over the course of treatment. They make a case for utilizing this conceptual framework in the treatment of chronic psychiatric patients in supportive clinic settings.     

Schizophrenia and Family Therapy

The case presented is of a young man hospitalized twice for schizophrenic disorder before the commencement of family therapy. The therapy which dealt with the family system, specific pathological communication patterns and intra-psychic conflicts, is discussed. As the parents of the young man confronted their inter- and intra-personal problems, the function of his illness disappeared, along with his psychotic symptoms. While demonstrating the process of psychotherapy, the thesis that psychotic decompensation in young people often signifies severe family dysfunction is also presented. Accepting the ‘identified’ patient as such and ignoring the family dynamics may serve to create a chronic schizophrenic illness.     

Labor relations and technological change at Canadian Pacific Railway

There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run When the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun Long before the white man and long before the wheel When the green dark forest was too silent to be real For they looked into the future and what did they see They saw an iron road running from the sea to the sea Bringing the goods to a young growing land All up through the seaports and into their hands From “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” by Gordon Lightfoot The authors thank CPR managers and union officials representing CPR employees for their cooperation and patience in explaining the intricacies of the railroad industry. Special appreciation is extended to Jason Copping, Labour Relations Manager, for his facilitating our initial access to the company.     

TOWARD CONSTRUCTING THE THERAPEUTIC SYSTEM*

The authors revise some of the concepts presented in their previous publications (Andolfi & Angelo, 1981; Andolfi, Nicolò-Corigliano & Menghi, 1983) and develop them further in light of their recent clinical experience. They emphasize that the therapist is not an outside neutral observer, but an active participant in the construction of the therapeutic system. The therapist can, at different times, be caring, detached, supportive, or provocative. In the fantasy of his clients he is a person who knows how to enter into a relationship and how to move out. By entering as the third pole in various triangles and activating new dimensions of rapport, he constructs complex relationships within the evolving therapeutic process. The authors also reevaluate the importance of the individual in the family as an agent of change and as a mediator of triangular relational messages.     

Anorexia nervosa in males: A case report and review of the literature

Only 5–10% of the diagnosed cases of anorexia nervosa occur in males. Anorexia nervosa can be difficult to identify in males because it may occur in a different subset of the population as compared to females and because anorectic males use different terms to express conflicts regarding body size and shape than their female counterparts. This case study illustrates how a young prepubescent male responded to traumatic events in his life by developing anorexia nervosa with an eventual loss of 33% of his premorbid weight. Precipitants of this patient's illness were his parent's divorce, his mother's remarriage, a precipitous relocation, his mother's pregnancy, and his sister's development of a life-threatening disease, all occurring during the early stages of puberty. The study concludes that anorexia nervosa in young males can result from multiple psychologically traumatic events which occur at a particular stage of development.     

Intimacy,Men and Their Relationships

This paper is an attempt, using one case example, to highlight the struggle many men have with masculinity. The presenting problem for this young man, was his belief he had a small penis and was not a “man”. This resulted in him closing off his life more and more. The connection between intimacy and masculinity and the ideas that proved helpful for this man consequently to explore relationships will be discussed.     

Toward Understanding the Child's Experience in the Process of Parentification: Young Adults' Reflections on Growing up With a Depressed Parent

This article reports on a qualitative study with 21 young adults who grew up with a depressed parent. We examined how young adults make sense of their childhood experiences of parental depression and how their retrospective reflections help us to understand the experiences of children and the processes of parentification. Participants recounted that their childhood consisted mainly of actions in the service of family well‐being. At that time, they reflected on their own experiences only rarely. In adolescence, there was an evolution toward a greater consideration for oneself and a repositioning within the family. In the discussion, we explore the therapeutic implications of this study—and in particular—the meaningfulness of silence in the family process of parentification.     

Considering the best interests of infants in foster care placed separately from their siblings

This article offers a perspective on the child welfare practice of placing infants and their siblings in foster care using the theoretical frameworks of attachment and infant mental health. The authors highlight issues for child welfare workers to consider when determining if moving an infant or young child from one home to another for the purpose of placing him with his siblings would cause trauma or disruption; and also issues to consider when determining the infant or young child's best interest when separated from siblings. First, the authors summarize the literature regarding attachment relationships and attachment disruptions. Then, they review outcome studies of children residing in foster care who are placed with their siblings and of those who are placed separately. Finally, the authors conclude with specific recommendations for child welfare workers to aid in making such difficult decisions about placing infants in foster care.     

Expectations and realisations: the employment story of a young man with cerebral palsy

Britain has laws and a range of policies which promote the employment of disabled people. The lack of progress to get disabled people into paid work has resulted in huge dissatisfaction for some. Evidence of disability and employment problems is often expressed as hard data, but what of the personal experiences of trying to find employment? This article is based on interviews with ‘Nick’, a young man with cerebral palsy who wanted to recount his preparation for work, including work experience, through school, the Connexions service and the local Employment Office. He explained how he felt his voluntary work and work experiences were not fully planned and ultimately unsatisfactory. Nick found paid employment, but soon discovered that there were too many problems for him to continue. He reflected on his experiences, including his own initial confidence, his despair at the ending of his paid employment and the realities of what employment means for him.     

Beyond Invisibility: Psychosocial Reflections on How President Obama's Image Can Affect Young African American Males

A new chapter in U. S. history has been written, an African American man accomplished that which seemed impossible: Barrack Obama became the forty-fourth president of the United States. Arguably, this inspired positive feelings in many Americans irrespective of racial, cultural, and status. For young African American men, however, I believe this victory may symbolize a new beginning filled with infinite possibilities, which can minimize feelings of invisibility. Thus, this article focuses on how President Obama's image can emerge as a role model for young African American men who are confronted with stereotypic representations of themselves. My scholarship, my therapeutic work with young African American men, and the reality of having an African American president have inspired me to write this article.     

Teaching Disability History: The Case of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Abstract

This article addresses the teaching of disability history, specifically concerning the historical figure of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). Drawing upon literature from multicultural education, disability history and disability studies in education (DSE), the authors discuss historical content and teaching ideas for instruction about FDR. The authors present findings from a content analysis of six middle level and secondary United States history textbooks, noting unanimous coverage of FDR’s disability resulting from polio. These textbooks noted how he overcame his disability and strengthened his character, referenced his decision to conceal his disability, and quoted FDR directly regarding his disability. The authors follow this analysis with discussion of several middle and high school teaching ideas that might augment textbook coverage and representation about FDR. This article explores how teachers of United States history might further develop their teaching of history through the inclusion of disability history within the context of a famous historical figure.     

Health,social integration and social support: The lived experiences of young Middle-Eastern refugees living in Melbourne,Australia

Based on the therapeutic landscape theory, this paper examines how young Middle-Eastern refugee individuals perceive their health and wellbeing and addresses the barriers they face in their new homeland and the means that helped them to form social connections in their new social environment. Qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and mapping activities) were conducted with ten young people from refugee backgrounds. Thematic analysis method was used to analyse the data. Findings suggested that the young refugees face various structural and cultural inequalities that significantly influenced their health and wellbeing. Mental wellbeing was their greatest health concern. All participants reported the significant influence of the English language on their ability to adapt and form connections with their social environment. The presence of positive social support in their new social environment had a great impact on the health and wellbeing of the participants. The findings of this study contributed to the role of therapeutic landscapes and social support in helping young refugees to feel that they belonged to the society, and hence assisted them to better adapt to their new living situation.     

Negotiating reform: young people's leadership in the educational arena

Youth organizing within the institutional context of community-based organizations has grown exponentially. Drawing on interviews with more than eighty organizers, youth, and educators, this article examines young people's experiences as they organize to expand educational opportunities for themselves and their peers in urban school districts. The authors explore educator responses to youth organizing and analyze how race- and class-based assumptions about youth leadership, as well as differing cultural norms between schools and youth organizing groups, pose challenges for young people fighting for education reform. The authors describe three strategies youth organizing groups use to address these challenges: intensive leadership development, targeted relationship building with district administrators, and alliance building. Implications for both educators and youth organizing groups are discussed.     

Applying the Paradigm of Relational Ethics into Contextual Therapy. Analyzing the practice of Ivan Boszormenyi‐Nagy

Ivan Boszormenyi Nagy introduced with his contextual therapy a challenging theory into the world of family therapy. It is rooted in a relational ethical perspective on human relations and shifts the focus of therapy from pathology to evoking reciprocal care and a genuine dialogue, based on the conviction that inter‐human relations are resources for individual growth and health. This article presents a research project on the practice of the founder himself, to describe how the principles of the contextual theory and therapy can be integrated into concrete therapeutic interventions. Using the Constant Comparison Method, the authors found six clusters of interventions representing methodical elements through which Ivan Boszormenyi‐Nagy applies the paradigm of his approach.     

A SELF-MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR SUPERVISION

The authors present a management-of-self model of supervision that is currently being used in the graduate training program in marriage and family therapy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The major proposition of the model is that as the supervisee comes to understand how family of origin and family constellation patterns learned in the past are reenacted within the therapeutic context, he/she can then interrupt those patterns of interaction that tend to inhibit his/her therapeutic effectiveness.     

Despite years of failed treatments,patient cuts back on drinking

A social worker, a mother and conference calls all united for what looks at this time like a happy outcome for one young man, despite the failure of multiple treatments. Residential treatment, individual counseling, Vivitrol, AA attendance, an interventionist and a stint at an unlicensed rehabilitation center all may have helped in this case study of a young man — age 36 by the time he started working with Patrick Doyle, a social worker who is a family coach enlisted by the patient's parents. But ultimately, they all failed, and the young man was in risky territory, with binges and blackouts. What saved him was his mother's decision to stand up to the insistence by the “recovery team” on total abstinence. The recovery team included Doyle, who recounted the story to ADAW last week, the parents, the therapist, and the interventionist.     

The Stylistics Essence of Allan Poe's Gothic Story——Analyzing Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart from the Stylistics Perspective

The American short story writer Edgar Allan Poe has his unique writing, style, this paper form three aspects Lexical deviance, Syntactic over regularity, Several rhetoric devices, then give a conclusion that the subtle and capricious mental world of the young man and the suspense circum stance.     

The interaction of masculinity and control and its impact on the experience of suffering for an older man

Previous work suggests that control and suffering are related to one another. Although it would be expected that within cultures which emphasize the importance of masculinity, as well as personal control, there would be greater suffering among individuals who lose their sense of masculinity or control, how these constructs relate to each other and are individually negotiated has been largely understudied. This paper takes a case study approach to further exploring how the constructs of control, masculinity, and suffering are related in the lived experience of an older European American man, Mr. Gregor. Analysis of this case shows that masculinity is related to control and that these constructs act as themes which interact over Mr. Gregor's lifetime in a variety of ways. The level of control maintained by Mr. Gregor in different aspects of his life affects his sense of suffering. In some instances his sense of masculinity helps to protect Mr. Gregor against suffering; in others, it contributes to his suffering. These findings support the notion that there are culturally dependent possibilities for how control and masculinity are related.