ADAPTING THE MODEL: THERAPEUTIC WORK WITH CHILDREN FROM ARMY FAMILIES

This paper describes the development of a specialised therapeutic service for parents and their young children in an inner city social services family centre. The Under five's counselling service, based on the Tavistock Model, offers brief psychoanalytic interventions to parents who are worried about their young child's development e.g. crying, eating, persistent crying etc. The premise behind setting up such a service was to provide therapeutic intervention to the parent-child relationship at the earliest possible stage, preventing further ongoing difficulties. The paper draws upon observations and interventions with families I have seen in the first year the service was opened. Particular themes which emerged in the work with these families will be highlighted. In particular a link is made between early childhood difficulties and unresolved loss in the mother's lives. Furthermore, the impact of the service upon the rest of the social services family support services is commented upon.     

THE RELEVANCE OF THE CONCEPT OF DISSOCIATION IN CHILD PROTECTION

This paper explores one aspect of unresolved trauma, namely dissociation. Its relevance to child protection is discussed with reference to two aspects: emotional neglect and choice of partner. There is an exploration of the implications for both assessment and treatment. The central place of shame in relation to dissociation is also explored. It is argued that dissociation is an important concept in child protection assessments and that social work assessments should be alert to this.     

Abuse of disabled children in Ghana

Even though disabled children are targets of various forms of abuse, such issues remain mostly undocumented open secrets in many countries including Ghana. The article is based on a qualitative data provided by three key informants. Six stories emerged from the data and are discussed in terms of four main forms of abuse. Labelling theories are employed to strengthen the discussions. The article is aimed at increasing awareness on the various forms of abuse experienced by disabled children in Ghana. The study is also meant to capture the attentions of stakeholders that have the responsibility to end abusive practices against disabled children in Ghana.     

Deactivating the Buttons: Integrating Radical Exposure Tapping with a Family Therapy Framework

The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate with case examples a brief intervention termed Radical Exposure Tapping (RET). RET can be integrated with family therapy to address stuck points where the therapy is hindered by a family member's affective block, an intense and unchangeable emotional reactivity to a specific trigger. RET draws from the methodology of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and combines it with the tapping sequence of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to produce an intervention that is more flexible than EMDR, provides greater rigor than using the EFT technique alone and can be effective in a single session within the context of family therapy. The paper puts this work into context by first over viewing definitions of trauma and Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder, arguing that family members' emotional reactivity may be a symptom of PTSD even when they would not qualify for the diagnosis because they had not experienced a life threatening event.     

The Role of a Bio-Ecological Assessment System in Writing a Culturally Sensitive Report: The Importance of Assessing Other Intelligences

This article shows how the bio-ecological assessment system is applied in assessing a child’s cognitive intelligence beyond a psychometric intelligence test. The authors conceive of intellectual behavior as an inextricable bio-ecological phenomenon and argue for an assessment system consistent with this conception. The recognition that there are many types of intelligences (such as musical and bodily kinesthetic) is discussed. The article presents a cursory review ofhow to assess the other intelligences ofa child and how to incorporate this into a culturally sensitive report. A case sample via a psychological report demonstrating this model is presented with the goal of showing how the psychological status of minority children can be enhanced if ,psychologists adopt an integrated approach to assessment by way of a bio-ecological model. The case presented is that of a child with deficient cognitive functioning on the psychometric tests, but advanced functioning on the “Other Intelligence Assessment Measure.” Diagnostic impressions are given and implications for report writing and intelVentions are suggested.     

Differentiation of Self and the Process of Forgiveness: A Clinical Perspective for Couple and Family Therapy

In this article we explore the role of differentiation of self in facilitating forgiveness in the context of couple and family relationships. Differentiation is defined from the Bowen perspective as the ability to connect with others without being excessively emotionally reactive to the ebb and flow inherent in all significant relationships (being able to connect to others yet also being able to self‐regulate). Forgiveness is described as the releasing of an emotional injury via a complex psychological and relational process that is less an act of will than a discovery or possibility through understanding and empathy. Differentiation of self is related to emotional intelligence and empathy. The developmental and relational benefits of such are illustrated and discussed. A rationale for viewing differentiation and forgiveness in a contextual, historical, and relational attachment paradigm is suggested. Relevant clinical cases illustrate the dynamics of differentiation and forgiveness as discovery in the context of an understanding and empathic relational environment.     

Expert Systems

Summary

Expert systems are computer programs which embody the expertise of a human expert in order to consult and advise on a specific problem. It is now becoming feasible to apply expert systems technology to problems in the human services. This article describes what expert systems technology is and how it may be applied in human service practice. Finally, some of the promises and pitfalls of this new technology are addressed.     

Spinal Cord Injury

ABSTRACT

This article provides an overview of spinal cord injury (SCI) that is useful and informative for social workers and other health care professionals who work with this population. Social workers new to the specialty of spinal cord injury must expand their knowledge base of this chronic injury. Social workers contribute to the rehabilitation process through assessment, education, and discharge planning. This article also may be used to inform persons with spinal cord injury and their families and to encourage them to engage in dialogue about SCI in the earliest stages of treatment and rehabilitation.     

An Exploration of Family Violence Among the Homeless

Abstract

This research found a high incidence of family violence among homeless people. The most common form of violence was physical; the least common was sexual abuse. The data also reported a high percentage of violence among homeless people confronted with mental illness. The policy and practice implications for these findings are discussed.     

人工智能方法在旅游预测中的应用及评析

对旅游需求预测的研究始于20世纪60年代,绝大多数研究成果出现于80年代以后。而对此类文献进行整理和研究的成果相对较少,且有明显的缺陷：一是研究深度不够,仅仅是对近期论文的简单罗列;二是由于受研究时间的局限性,未能涉及最新的研究方法。为此,系统地论述诸如粗糙集理论、遗传算法、时间序列方法等,并通过比较得出：人工智能方法在旅游预测方面的应用尽管取得了较好的效果,但也有其自身的缺陷,在以后的研究中应发挥各种分析方法的优点,根据实际分析对象的具体情况选择合适的分析方法,这样才能收到事半功倍的效果。