The dream as a vehicle for the recovery of childhood trauma

Gertrude and Rubin Blanck (1979), drawing on Freud's discovery that a dream may lead to the recovery of forgotten childhood experiences, have shown how certain dreams may provide access to the pattern of the early mother-child relationship and to critical events that occur before the ego is capable of processing experience adequately. Drawing from their considerations, this paper demonstrates how a dream was employed to reconstruct a pattern of early chronic stress trauma which had contributed to a repetitive pattern of self destructive behavior in a depressed woman. This reconstructive effort helped start the difficult work of diminishing the painful impact of the traumatic past and paved the way for a beginning identification with a protective object, the therapist.     

Family therapy with selectively mute children: a case study

Due to its rarity (<1% of all clinical cases), few Marriage and Family Therapists have significant expertise in dealing with children who have become selectively mute, and little research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of family therapy in treating this disorder. Much of what has been researched does not serve to provide a cohesive or uniform road map to follow in determining the course of treatment. The purposes of this article are (a) to present a case study outlining specific treatment interventions in a specific case used over the course of 2 years in a school-based setting, (b) to demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing school-based family-centered treatment, and (c) to stimulate further research and development on the efficacy of family therapy in alleviating anxiety and stress in children who have developed this disorder.     

Couples therapy for women survivors of child sexual abuse who are in addictions recovery: a comparative case study of treatment process and outcome

Treatment for women who are survivors of child sexual abuse and who have a history of substance abuse has largely involved gender-specific interventions. This study examines the use of conjoint couple therapy with a cohort of women who were survivors of child sexual abuse and who are in addiction recovery and with their partners. A comparative case study analysis incorporated standardized clinical measures with client and therapist interviews. Brief conjoint therapy was found to assist couples in the specific relationship skill areas of communication and mutual problem solving. Further, substantive gains were found in the realm of affective relations. The women reported an increase in support from their male partners, and the men reported a decrease in negative emotional atmosphere in the relationship.     

Functional capacity evaluations as a post-offer employment: a case study

Functional capacity evaluations in the post-offer phase of employment has the capacity to minimize work related injuries and promote wellness on the worksite. This paper includes a discussion of the value of post-offer evaluations and possible assessment options. To investigate the feasibility of administering post-offer evaluations, a case study was initiated. The Physical Work Performance Evaluation (PWPE) was administered to a new employee, VA, who was employed for the task of kneading dough, at a major food company. When compared to detailed work demands, there was no match between the job demands, and the client's capability in two sub-tests: lift from waist to eye level and trunk rotation. Based upon findings, recommendations for an initial graded work schedule, basic strengthening exercises, and modifications of the job site and task were made to the employer. The project was initiated with the hope of raising employee's and employer's awareness of workers health issues in the post-offer phase as it express itself in post-offer evaluation that aims to prevent musculoskeletal problems. This article aims to expand occupational therapists' awareness to the potential benefits of such a process.     

Consumer survey as needs assessment method: a case study

Needs assessment methodology has grown remarkably as a necessary part of evaluating human service programs. The consumer survey method of needs assessment is reviewed. A case study in which the training needs of board members of the eleven community mental health agencies in a rural New England state were examined by a questionnaire requesting ratings of the importance and priority of 11 possible topics is presented. Sixty-five of 300 questionnaires were returned (21.66%). The results clearly support the view that training programs for boards are needed, and suggest that citizens can make reasonable decisions about program content if given the opportunity. A training project, based on the results of the survey is described. Problems in designing and implementing consumer surveys and training programs are discussed.     

Community councils as a medium for public participation: a case study in Grampian region

Planning authorities in Scotland are obliged to consult the public before finalising policies and proposals to be included in their development plans. Community councils are intended to operate as ‘the voice of a neighbourhood’ and this paper analyses an attempt by a regional planning authority to use community councils as a vehicle for consulting the public in the preparation of a structure plan for a rural area. The paper concludes that the attempt was unsuccessful because the community councils were not clear about the role they were expected to play; nor were they adequately prepared for their role. The authors believe, however, that the involvement of community councils has potential for promoting greater public participation in the preparation of development plans.     

Case study as a research method to study life histories of elderly people: Some ideas and a case study of a case study

The article explores conditions under which life history interviewing, based on case study research, may become a valuable research instrument. Validity and reliability of case study as a form of qualitative research are discussed. It is shown that neither triangulation nor internal consistency methods can guarantee a single interpretation. As an example a case study of Zina, an immigrant from Russia, is used, and two explanations of her behavior are proposed. The choice between them is made through construction of a holistic image of Zina, which essentially means introduction of a new dimension—theory, worldview—as a criterion of validity and reliability of case studies. Relations of a case study to a theory are discussed, and the conclusion is made that a case study enables a researcher to utilize the most the diversity of life histories of elderly people.     

Singapore as a long-term case study for tropical urban ecosystem services

Ecosystem services have gained rapid interest for understanding urban-environment interactions. However, while the term “ecosystem services” is relatively novel, their principles have influenced urban planning for decades. This study assesses the wealth of urban ecosystem services research conducted in the tropical city state of Singapore, in particular their historical local use and implicit and explicit incorporation into land use planning, and shows how Singapore is exporting their experiences to other cities around the world. Singapore is an important model for urban ecosystem services research, as the nation has experienced rapid urban development and has a 100 % urban population. Singapore also historically utilized ecosystem services in urban decision making long before the concept was popularized. For example, forests were conserved since 1868 for climatic regulation and for the watershed protection services provided to Singapore’s first reservoirs, and green spaces have been conserved for cultural ecosystem services since the 1920s. Urban ecosystem services were formally incorporated into national planning in the 1960s through the “Garden City” urban planning vision. Singapore is now a leading case study for tropical urban climatology and carbon sequestration, exporting its experiences globally through bilateral agreements and the construction of eco-cities in China, and the creation and promotion of a global City Biodiversity Index to assess urban ecosystem service provision in cities across the globe. Consolidating and understanding case study cities such as Singapore is important if we are to understand how to incorporate multiple ecosystem services into large scale planning frameworks, and provides an important tropical example in a research field dominated by western, temperate case studies.     

Moving toward recovery within clients' personal narratives: directions for a recovery-focused therapy

Recent literature emphasizes that recovery from schizophrenia involves recovery within one's own narrative of an integral sense of identity, agency, social connection, and worth. While this is intuitively appealing and consistent with a wide range of literature, it raises the issue of how to best help people do this in individual psychotherapy. In this article, we explore how psychotherapy might help people construct new narratives or storied understandings of their lives and thereby promote recovery from schizophrenia. Exemplified with two individual examples, we first discuss the barriers that challenge and the techniques that help psychotherapists seeking to enter into dialogue with people with severe mental illness. We also offer a theoretical model of how the revitalization of dialogues within therapy can be conceptualized as a process that promotes recovery and discuss the objective measurement of such outcomes.     

A framework for providing telecommuting as a reasonable accommodation: some considerations on a comparative case study

Telecommuting, whether full time, part time, or over short periods when the need arises, can be an important accommodation for employees with disabilities. Indeed, telecommuting may be the only form of accommodation that offers employees whose disabilities fluctuate a means to stay consistently and gainfully employed. This article describes one employer's experience in considering a request for telecommuting as a reasonable accommodation for a particular employee. Drawing on real-life examples, both positive and negative, this article provides a win/win framework for decision-making that can help employers evaluate the use of telecommuting as a possible accommodation and facilitates open and ongoing communication between employer and employee.     

Television as a diagnostic indicator in child therapy: An exploratory study

This paper explores the relation between television viewing and clinical indicators for the mental health profession. Television viewing is seen from a systemic process perspective, based on data about children in therapy from therapists and parents. Family viewing patterns appear to be related to certain types of clinical indicators, especially attention deficit disorder and acting out. Of particular interest is the finding of a strong association between parental viewing habits and ADD on the part of children. The results suggest that television may be a useful indicator of family health for mental health practitioners and researchers.     

Making a place for escort work: a case study

This case study focused on the steps taken by a Canadian city bordering the United States to manage the commercial sex component of an adult entertainment package that draws many American visitors. It explored how the city dealt with the potential of community stigmatization resulting from its growing reputation as a place for easily accessible sex trade. The distinctive Canadian laws related to the sex industry, the predominantly laissez-faire attitude toward people's sex lives, and concerns about maintaining the atmosphere of safety and privacy protection preferred by many residents set boundaries to the approach that could be taken. The specific historical, geographic, social, and political location of the city figured prominently in its choice of a normalization rather than a spatialization strategy.     

Urban fragmentation as a research hypothesis: Rabat-Salé case study

Cities in developing countries display distinct spatial patterns which are increasingly recognised as the fragmentation of urban space. Although the reason for this is largely unknown, it is necessary to recognise it in order to shape appropriate urban policies.This paper is concerned with a study of Rabat-Salé, Morocco, testing the hypothesis that physically different fragments determine distinctive ways of using the city. The peculiar morphological characteristics of eight fragments were identified and, based on information from a sample survey, three issues were investigated: places of reference and the accessibility to infrastructure and services; the household's residential trajectory within the agglomeration; and the family network and its spatial location. It was found that the differences in the use of the city were not systematic among the population of the various fragments. What emerges is more a social integration resulting from a mixing at the level of family, clan or region of origin, than a societal fragmentation. The research confirms that although two distinct and at times divergent urban spaces exist, they do not necessarily conflict. These differences depend principally upon household social and economic conditions. It is essential that urban management and planning take these factors into account.     

Meta-analysis: a case study

This article raises some questions about the usefulness of meta-analysis as a means of reviewing quantitative research in the social sciences. When a meta-analytic model for SAT coaching is used to predict results from future studies, the amount of prediction error is quite large. Interpretations of meta-analytic regressions and quantifications of program and study characteristics are shown to be equivocal. The match between the assumptions of the meta-analytic model and the data from SAT coaching studies is not good, making statistical inferences problematic. Researcher subjectivity is no less problematic in the context of a meta-analysis than in a narrative review.     

Chronic illness in couples: a case for emotionally focused therapy

The onset of chronic illness is one of the most pervasive health problems facing North Americans today. Only recently have researchers and clinicians seriously examined chronic physical conditions in the context of close relationships. This article briefly reviews the literature on chronic illness in adult couples. Initially, the focus is on the reciprocal link between close relationships and chronic physical conditions. A number of clinical approaches for working with chronic illness in couples are outlined, a particular case is made for the utility of emotionally focused therapy, and a case study is presented.     

The experience of trauma recovery: a qualitative study of participants in the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP)

The efficacy of intensive group treatment programs for child maltreatment has been established. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand how women with a history of child maltreatment experienced the Women Recovering from Abuse Program (WRAP), an existing intensive group treatment program. Seven women were interviewed following their participation in WRAP. Three themes emerged: Breaking Trauma-Based Patterns, Doing Therapy, and The Healing Journey as a Continuous Process. These findings deepen our understanding about how participants view the recovery process. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.     

Making sense of collective identity and trauma through drawing: the case study of a Palestinian refugee student

Abstract

Identity construction can be very complex for refugee children, especially for Palestinian refugee children. For refugee children, organised violence and immigration are important parts of their life experience that can lead to trauma, which in turn influences how they construct their collective identity. Schools have to consider this specific experience as the development of a meaningful identity is an important factor in refugee students’ well-being and school adjustment. School-based activities centred on creative expression can help refugee students in expressing trauma and in making sense of their identity and migration experience. This paper presents the case study of a 9-year-old Palestinian refugee boy in Canada and explores how he expressed and made sense of his multiple identities in his drawings. Many features of the boy’s drawings evoked a wounded identity, especially spatial disorganisation and enmeshment. Data analysis revealed that the boy might have been experiencing collective identity trauma and that he used drawing and a peer as props to heal his wounded identity. Both drawing and the space offered by his teacher to safely explore and experiment with different identities contributed to the integration of his multiple identities into a meaningful whole, which contributed to his school adjustment.