Play Therapy with Rosy

Summary Rosy is typical of many problematic children in residentialsettings as well as natural homes. What is perhaps not so typicalin social work practice is play therapy, an intervention thathas been acknowledged as having contributed to a significantimprovement in Rosy's behaviour and emotional stability. Certainconditions are necessary—a suitable playroom; assuranceof regular sessions; a play therapist who is, at least to someextent, freed from her own unconscious preoccupations so thatshe can work effectively on the child's needs without interjectingher own. The aim of this paper is to present a synopsis of thetheoretical background, to outline some practical considerations,and to quote from my work with Rosy as a living example of playtherapy in the hope that others will be stimulated to considerplay work as a viable method of intervention with some children.Rosy's play sessions lasted a little over a year, many othercases require less time.     

Social Work Students' Perceptions of Child Abuse: An International Comparison and Postmodern Interpretation of its Findings

Correspondence to R. James Christopherson, School of Social Studies, University of Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. Summary The decision about whether behaviour with children is acceptablehas far-reaching consequences for those involved. Social workersmust decide what behaviour leads people into the child protectionsystem. This study aims to identify how far social work studentsachieve a consensus on the acceptability of behaviour, and whethersimilar items achieve agreement between groups in Sweden andEngland. Forty-four vignettes of behaviour with children whichmight be seen as unacceptable were administered to 52 first-yearsocial work students in Ume, Sweden, and 50 English students.They were asked to rank the behaviour on a 5-point scale, where‘1’ represented ‘Fine’ and ‘5’‘Totally unacceptable'. Key findings were that there is little consensus within societiesabout what is acceptable behaviour towards children, and significantdifferences between them. It is argued that this is the resultof the many different discourses operating in the field. Theauthor points out the difficulties this can cause, and arguesfor the acceptance of a postmodern approach, which though stressingthe importance of consensus in decision making, ultimately positsthat effective and ethical practice must be based on relationship.Such an approach would resolve paradoxes which have challengeda more modernist understanding of social work.     

The Use of TGroups in Training Social Workers

Summary It is suggested that T groups might be of value in Social Worktraining as a means of encouraging Social Workers to make greateruse of group techniques. T groups have been criticized on ethicalgrounds and for their tendency to produce psychological disturbancein predisposed individuals. In he context of Social Work trainingT groups have a dual function, promoting self awareness in theparticipants and increasing their knowledge of group dynamics.A procedure is described which emphasizes the necessity of focusingon group behaviour as opposed to individual psychopathology.It is believed that by doing so the psychological hazards arereduced. A brief outline is given of the manner in which materialproduced in the group sessions may illustrate theoretical materialintroduced elsewhere on the course     

Race, Self-identity and Social Work

Correspondence to Dr J. Owusu-Bempah, School of Social Work, University of Leicester, 107 Princess Road East, Leicester LE1 71, A. Summary Many people seem to accept, as self-evident, the notion thatblack children harbour unfavourable cognitions about themselvesand their racial group, and that they would rather be white.The present study investigated the prevalence of this notionamongst social work students, and also the extent of the influenceof this view on professional practice. The study involved 102postgraduate social work students at two British Universitiesin separate regions of the country. The respondents respondedindividually to three randomly distributed vignettes, whichwere identical except for the racial/ethnic origin of the principalcharacters: a white child, a child of ‘mixed-race’parentage and a black child. The respondents were required toassess the causes of the children's behaviour, as well as theirsocial and psychological needs. The results were analysed accordingto the number of respondents who mentioned particular causesof the children's behaviour and particular courses of actionto meet their needs. The analyses revealed significant differencesbetween the respondents' perception and interpretations of thechildren's behaviour. The analyses also revealed that the childrenwere differentially treated according to their race or ethnicorigin. The results are discussed in the light of assumptionsabout black self-concept, mainly derived from the social scienceliterature. The implications of the findings for the socialwork profession, individual practitioners, and their black clientsare also highlighted.     

Working with Sex Offenders: A Social Skills Training Group

Summary The paper presents an account of a group of sex offenders ina local prison. Nine sessions of social skills training weregiven with the aim of facilitating relationships within theprison and possibly after release.     

Deprived Adolescents: A Use for Groupwork

Summary This article describes a group for deprived adolescent boysreferred to a child guidance unit for violent, anti-social andwithdrawn behaviour in school. The referred behaviour is relatedto its aetiology in environmental and fragmented family conditionsand the suitability of group work as providing a containingor 'holding' situation is discussed in relation to other formsof treatment available. The behaviour and role of the therapistis considered, as are the limitations of what can be achievedin provision of this kind     

The Impact of Criminal Conviction Disclosure on the Self-reported Offending Profile of Social Work Students

Correspondence to University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Studies, 31 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JT, UK. E-mail: richard.perry{at}ed.ac.uk. Summary Data gathered at a Scottish institute of higher education between1986 and 2000 indicate a significant reduction in the scaleof self-reported offending behaviour by social work students.The change coincided with the introduction by the Central Councilfor Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW) in 1989 ofa requirement that applicants for training disclose prior toadmission any criminal convictions recorded against them. Thearticle suggests that more prolific offenders have been deterredfrom applying to DipSW programmes and the social work professionneeds to take steps to create a more positive climate for therecruitment of those offenders who represent no more of a threatto users than non-offenders.     

Social Policy and the Prevention of Suicidal Behaviour

Summary This paper is an attempt to answer the following questions.Can we, and should we, try to prevent suicidal behaviour; howsuccessful are the efforts at suicide prevention of lay andmedical agencies; and what social policies could be employedto prevent suicidal behaviour?     

Shared Learning for Doctors and Social Workers: Evaluation of a Programme

Correspondence to John Carpenter, Tizard Centre, Institute of Social and Applied Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7LZ Summary This paper reports a shared learning programme for final yearsocial work and medical students which was designed in the lightof social psychological studies of intergroup behaviour (theContact Hypothesis). Key features included institutional supportfor the programme and opportunities to work as equals in pairsand small groups on shared tasks in a cooperative atmosphere.Topics included alcohol abuse, dealing with psychiatric emergencies,deliberate self-harm and community senices for people with learningdisabilities. A comprehensive evaluation of the effects of the programme onone cohort of 85 participants revealed that overall attitudestowards the other profession had improved and that each sawthe other as more professionally competent at the end of theprogramme. Participants reported increased knowledge of theattitudes, skills, roles and duties of the other professionand of how to work together more effectively.     

Behavioural Social Work with Schizophrenic Patients in the Community

Summary A preliminary project on the application of behaviour modificationprocedures in the home setting is reported together with commentson the social needs of schizophrenic patients and their families.The article includes suggestions about social work with thisclient group based on the project experience.     

Do Nothing but Do Something: the Effect of Human Contact with the Parent on Abusive Behaviour

Summary This study examines whether a mere human contact, which is notaccompanied with any definite treatment goal or technique, canbring about a change in the behaviour of abusing mothers. Resultsindicated that after three months of social contact betweenthe layman, intervening woman and 40 abusive mothers, significantchange could be seen in the abusive behaviour. This change didnot last when the contact with the mother was terminated. Threeelements inherent in the contact were mentioned by the mothersas an explanation; social control, attention, and easing theburden. The paper ends with a discussion of the use of humancontact as a method of treatment, its advantages and disadvantages.     

The Use of Autobiography in Social Work Education

Summary The article describes an experiment in writing autobiography,first with an extra mural group of trainee counsellors and thenwith social work students doing an elective in literature andsocial work. The value of such an exercise for developing self-awarenessis discussed and reference made to its use with clients.     

Examining the Causes of Stress in Families with Severely Mentally Handicapped Children

Summary Though it is recognized that the presence of a mentally handicappedchild may be a source of stress for a family, less is knownabout precisely which impairments are particularly stressful.This question was investigated in a study of 200 families withseverely mentally handicapped children living in two healthdistricts in South East England. Interviews were carried outwith the people responsible for the day-to-day care of the childrenand stress was measured by means of the Malaise Inventory. Theresults suggested that the highest levels of stress were associatedwith the presence of a child with behaviour disorders or withmultiple impairments; the stressfulness of these conditionswas exacerbated by adversity. A regression analysis showed thatthe factors causing most stress in carers were, in order ofimportance: behaviour problems in the child, night-time disturbance,social isolation, adversity in the family, multiplicity of impairments,difficulty in settling the child at night, problems with thechild's health, problems with the child's appearance, and moneyworries. The article ends with recommendations for the developmentof services aimed at reducing stress in families with mentallyhandicapped children.     

Why Social Work? A Comparison of British and New Zealand Studies

Summary The results of a survey of social work students in New Zealandare briefly reported and contrasted with two British studieswhich have employed the same methodology. The validity of certainpropositions concerning the socialization of the entrant intothe social work occupation is assessed.     

Compulsory Persuasion: A Problem for Correctional Social Work

Summary Social work risks being misused as a technique for controllingundesirable behaviour, regardless of clients' expectations orchoices. This approach to social work involves certain underlyingassumptions about human nature which raise considerable ethicaland practical difficulties. Recent trends in the probation andafter care service are considered, together with some researchstudies of the effectiveness of social work in reducing offendingbehaviour. From these it is argued that social work servicesfor offenders are more likely to be effective when the emphasisis on helping with perceived problems and difficulties ratherthan on crime prevention.     

Dangerous Clients: Further Observations on the Limitation of Mayhem

Correspondence to 1 Home Close Road, Houghton on the Hill, Leicester, LE7 9GT Summary The present contribution seeks to complement, up-date and amplifymaterial presented in an earlier paper in this Journal (Prins,1975) concerned with the management of dangerous and potentiallydangerous clients (in this case, offender-patients). An attemptis made to define the clientele considered to be at high riskof committing further acts of serious harm. Some brief observationsare made upon the nature of dangerous behaviour and risk. Theauthor then examines in more detail those factors and circumstancesthat may lead to the repetition of such behaviour and offerssome suggestions for its reduction. The paper's orientationis clinical rather than empirical or epidemiological.^{1, 2}     

'Help, I Can't Cope with my Child'--A Behavioural Approach to the Treatment of a Conduct Disordered Child within the Natural Homesetting

Correspondence to Andrew Bunyan, 20 Cranmer Drive, Meadow Gardens, Syston, Leicester LE7 8HY. Summary This study describes the implementation of a behavioural approachto treatment in a family with a four year old child at seriousrisk of a buse, presenting problems of defiance, demanding,aggression, destructiveness and sleep irregularity. Followinga comprehensive assessment, positive reinforcement, extinctionprocedures and time out were systematically applied throughthe use of a home-based triadic model of intervention. Initialresults (and a follow-up study) have indicated a significantimprovement in the child's behaviour.     

Over-chastisement, Child Non-compliance and Parenting Skills: A Behavioural Interventiaon by a Family Centre Social Worker

Summary This single-case study describes a behavioural interventionby a Family Centre social worker with a family whose two eldestchildren had been registered on the Child Protection Registerfollowing an incident of over-chastisement by their mother.Working in partnership with the parents. a behavioural assessmentand intervention was undertaken over a four month periood. Theassessment suggested that child non-compliance was a centralproblem behaviour and that mother and child were caught in atrap where each negatively reinforced the other's aversive,coercive behaviour, since these behaviours were successful interminating the other's unwanted or aversive behaviours. Theintervention aimed to increase child compliance and reduce childdefiance using a positive reinforcement programme, and to increasethe mother's child management skills using a parent trainingprogramme. The results showed that child compliance with maternalinstructions increased significantly and that this was maintainedat eleven month follow-up. Also, mother's use of command negativedecreased significantly; this improvement was also maintainedat eleven month follow-up.