Therapeutic Work with Children - Essay Example

Introduction Therapeutic work as a social works model may be defined as the use of play and counselling to address problems and reactions that children may experience as a result of traumatic events that have occured in their lives. The model uses the concept of allowing self expression through communication or play inorder to promote healing in these children. Therapeutic work has its history dating back to the 1930s. The concept was introduced after it had seen that there is a link between social adjustment and emotional problems. The model was used to demonstrate that emotions were not one dimensional and unique to individuals but was related to environment. This became the basis of therapeutic work; the use of physical surroundings and how people related to others to tackle psychological problems. (Anning et al, 2006) There are a number of procedures that may be followed when a social work is carrying out therapeutic work. Some of these include creation of an approachable and comfortable which allows the child to open up easily. The therapist must not hold any inhibitions or preconceived notions about the child for critical work. It is also imperative to ensure all feelings are read promptly and necessary action taken in response to these feelings. A social worker must not underestimate the child's capacity to resolve his/her own struggles. Children must be allowed to express themselves freely without the social worker trying to steer the conversation in a certain direction. Ample time should also be given to the therapeutic session so that all the underlying aspects of the problem are uncovered. Lastly, the social worker must ensure that some boundaries have been sent because children need boundaries to make them feel protected. Boundaries also reinforce the child's feelings of trust towards the social worker. One should also ensure that they let the child know that whatever the child is confiding in them will remain confidential. (Beckett and Walker, 2004) Why the model is a form of good working practise The model is appropriate because it has shown a good share of results. In a study done on some children who had been institutionalised and then taken through therapeutic care, it was found that majority of the children did not go back to the institution and showed positive result in their behaviour. (Trevithick, 2006) Research has also shown that children who undergo therapy when displaying symptoms of constant delinquency have less chances of being confined. These children have also been reported to showing fewer outbursts or they do so in fewer days than before they started the therapy. This model of social work is also good working practise because it deals with children exhibiting socially deviant behaviour. It has resulted in less chance of children running away from their homes especially those who have been adopted. Lastly, the model helps children with low self esteem because it makes them feel important. It also helps children who lack a self identity. Through the interactions between the child and the social worker, definition of what determines a child's identity are set and it becomes possible for the child to be able to relate well with all the people surrounding them. This is due to the fact that a chid will be able to relate well with all other people surrounding them. (Trevithick, 2006) Advantages and disadvantages of therapeutic work with children Advantages This model is quite flexible. It allows children to express themselves in an environment that is natural and free t them. Such an environment has always been accredited with giving good results as it breaks down barriers between the social worker and the child. This flexibility does not in any way compromise the centre of the method. This is because there are a number of limits and boundaries that are set by the counsellor and children are able to work within these limits. (Hill, 1999) The method has a strong theoretical basis. It is important for a model to merge theoretical values with a practical approach. This gives the approach a deep foundation and ascertains its credibility. In addition, there is the possibility of improving one's practises based on previous documentations and experiences in the method of approach. The approach used in therapeutic work with children integrates involvement of the service user. Here, the child is not simply an abstract area of study that is distant from the social worker. The user's problems are not studied externally but involve his/her participation. The approach encourages partnership. This is due to the fact that there are a number of stakeholders that are involved in the child's life. This means that any good model should incorporate these parties into the scheme of things. If other parties are involved in the process, then they can all contribute in reinforcing the changes that had been started in the therapeutic sessions. Some examples of parties involved in a child's life are parents, teachers, close family and friends. The approach is direct. It does not rely on secondary sources or other third parties. This means that there can be establishment of cause and effect relationships for behavioural observations made about the child. This also means that remedial action will be directly related to what had been observed. This eliminates wastage of time and allows social workers to meet their targets easily. (Houghton D and McColgan M, 1995) The method allows the social worker to feel gratified because it shows results of his/ her efforts. It therefore makes the worker empowered. Disadvantages The aspect of time can prove to be quite a big challenge during this arrangement. This is because there was a given time frame allocated for the placement program. There are also a number of objectives that must be achieved within this time frame. But it was found that making time with the service user was not always easy yet the therapeutic process should not be rushed. Children were to be given ample time to express themselves so that a remedy could arise from those interactions. There is also the challenge of a lack of cooperation between the two parties involved. This was seen during the group work session I did in my placement program. I had suggested to the children to play an established game but these children were not interested in the game. They instead suggested their own kind of game that involved playing in the sand. Cooperation may be lacking when it comes to the parent. This normally becomes a problem when parents keep postponing meetings or cancelling them all together. Sometimes, this approach has been accused of lacking credibility because all the findings depend on the social worker. Yet the social worker may have some biases that come in the way of obtaining relevant and useful information from the child. It is quite essential to ensure that one does not have any preconceived ideas before the therapeutic sessions. Social workers without enough experience in the field may undermine the legitimacy of the method because they may not know how to handle children or ways that may bring out the best in the service user. This occurred during placement when I had to ask a child some questions. I did not get very good responses, after consulting my supervisor, l realised that l was asking questions in the wrong way as most of the questions had been written and l was simply reading them out to the child. McMahon and Adrian Ward, 2001) This method also requires consistent and repeated communication between the social worker and the service user. If these contacts are not made, it becomes increasingly difficult to address the root cause of the problem. This may prove to be a limitation especially when the child's parents are not cooperative, when the child is located far away or when there are other activities that must be attended to by the social worker. Legislations relating to this model There are a number of legislations that have been pass that reinforce the idea of therapy among children. One such act is the Every Child matters Act. The Every Child Matters is a policy which was implemented by the government in order to become The Every Child Matters act 2004. this Act was a governments plan to improve as well as reform the care of the children which was written in response to the enquiry of the death of Victoria Climbie an eight year old. The Children's Act (2004) however highly affects all the children from birth to the nineteen year olds. It aimed at improving the educational achievements of all the children including those children who have special educational needs. Similarly the Act's key intent was to help all the children including those with special educational needs to achieve five outcomes which matter most to them, their parents as well as their careers (The Children Act 2004) These outcomes were; staying safe, being healthy, achieving and enjoying, making positive contributions to the society and also the economic and social wellbeing of the children. In line with the latter mentioned act, there was also The Child Act of 1989. This act emphasises on the importance of safeguarding and protecting children's interests. This act also recognizes the fact that all children have rights and no one should infringe these rights in any way. The above pieces of legislation relate to the social worker mainly. This is because he/she must ensure that any adult that comes in contact with a child does not have the potential to cause harm to them. This implies that the social worker must ensure that his/her presence does not cause any potential to the child involved. There are a number of measures which l took during my placement that ensured I conformed to these pieces of legislation. The first is that I made sure that I did assessments for all the cases that l was handling. This meant that l had to examine the kind of environment which the child was living under then take the necessary action. A social worker should not turn a blind eye to any circumstances that may cause severe harm to a child just because they want to do an analysis of the situation. I also provided proof that l would cause no harm to the child by first consulting with all the stakeholders in the child's life. I also ensured that there were no discrepancies because I recorded all my entry and exit times in a journal. This would act as a source of accountability if any questions were raised regarding the child' safety and rights. (HM Government, 2006) Theoretical underpinnings of the therapeutic model and research evidence There are a number of theories that fall under this model. The first one is the cognitive behavioural approach. The main idea behind this theory is the fact that one can be able to deduce explanations of certain observations by analyzing the behaviour of a child. This theory was applied during my placement when l was studying when trying to come up with a reasonable explanation of the behaviours which had been observed in the child. The child was found to display some socially unacceptable behaviour. These included throwing tantrums, shouting and screaming at the people surrounding her. It was found that the child was behaving in that manner because of the negative environment influencing him. Using this theory, I deduced the reason for this behaviour according to the theory. This was because the child's step father and mother had been engaging in fights time and time again. It was also due to the fact that there was a lot of alcohol abuse in that home. (Trevithick, 2006) There is also the task based approach that may be used in this model. Here tasks are arranged such that one is able to plan for all the activities that will be done in the process. This kind of approach is geared towards outcome and allows the social worker to come up with the most effective way. This kind of theoretical approach was applied during the placement program. I did prior planning before meeting the child by talking to the social worker working with the family. I also came up with a plan on how best top help one of the children under study by collaborating with here parent. This parent enlighten me on the current situation in her household and told me what could be the possible cause of here daughters behaviour. I also used the task based approach during sessions with the child. I made arrangements with them to meet her six times. This was such that I could build rapport between us. This approach also puts forward the fact that the service user should be allowed to change their circumstances. This means that the social worker should partner with these clients. (Trevithick, 2006) Lastly, the model also encompasses the person centred counseling approach. This approach suggests that social workers should work on the emotions experienced by the client. This implies that conflicting emotions can be laid out and all the information necessary to mend relationships can be divulged. How the model fits with my value base This model is quite appropriate to my value base because it is centered on the counseling approach. This kind of approach has shown a lot of positive results in the recent past. (Payne, 2005) How the model follows anti oppressive practices This model works towards eliminating imbalance in the work place. This was due to the fact that it was possible to work with the child as a student without any prior experience or qualifications in the field. (Adams, 2003) In addition, the model gives a kind of challenge to the traditional roles played by the student on placement and a social worker. Beside this, it was possible to be able to use the method of working to affect how my practice. (Dominelli, 2002) How a service user would view this model Service users welcome such an approach because it is participatory and involves work which they easily relate to. Most of the time, children are allowed to play within sessions and can express themselves in the best way using this kind of methodology. Most children also embrace this model because they feel that the environment is not uptight or rigid. They can therefore be able to express themselves well and may even look forward to the sessions. It is important when a method of counseling does not make the child feel confined or restricted in this way because this closes the avenues of communication. (Beckett, 2006) The model allows social workers to take children as they are. This implies that the child will not feel like they are under any form of judgment, in so doing they will open up more. (Horner, 2003) Service users also feel that the approach has a remedial effect in that they can see a positive impact of the previous sections. Any method of social work that offers a solution is quite welcome to the person utilizing the service. How the social worker views the approach The approach is also quite friendly to the social worker. This is because it allows a direct analysis of the situation and does not simply involve the study of an obsolete subject. The approach gives positive impact and therefore leaves the social worker with a feeling of self fulfillment. Besides this, social workers can easily meet their deadlines because the work involves consistency and directness. (Adams R, Dominelli L and Payne M, 2002) However, it becomes tricky for the social worker when they do not have alot of experience in the field and may find it quite troubling. It is also very cumbersome to gain permission from parents and other parties that affect the child's life. This may contribute towards a negative attitude in the social worker. The method may also be viewed negatively when the social worker is not getting any positive responses from the child. Some children may bottle up their feelings or may not want to make themselves vulnerable to the social worker. This can be very frustrating to the social worker who may feel like he/she is no effective in his/her work. Conclusion During my placement, the therapeutic model was quite a success. This was due to the fact that I kept reviewing my analysis asking for expert opinion for the family social worker and my supervisor. Because the method was theoretically based, it was possible to use some pre-tested methods to implement the approach. It helped me to establish cause and effect relationships thus helping the service user tackle her problem. Reference Adams R, Dominelli L and Payne M (2002) Critical Practice in Social Work Beckett C, (2006) Essential Theory for Social Work Practice, Palgrave Dominelli L, (2002) Anti-Oppressive Social Work: Theory and Practice Payne M, (2005) Modern Social Work Theory, 3rd edition, Palgrave Hampshire Trevithick P, (2006) Social Work skills Practice Handbook, 2nd edition, Open University Patrick Tomlinson (2005) Therapeutic Approaches in Work with Traumatised Children and Young People, Theory and Practice McMahon and Adrian Ward (2001) Helping Families in Family Centres, Working at Therapeutic Practice, Edited by Linnet Hill M (1999) Effective ways of Working with Children and their Families, Jessica Kingsley Publishers LTD HM Government, (2006) Every Child Matters: Change for Children: Working Together to Safeguard Children, A guide to Interagency Working to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children, Published by TSO Horner N, (2003) What is Social Work Practice, Context and Perspectives, Learning Matters LTD Houghton D and McColgan M, (1995) Working with Children, Collins Educational LTD Adams R, (2003) Social Work and Empowerment, 3rd Edition, Palgrave McMillian Anning A, Cottrell D, Frost N, Green J, Robinson M (2006) Developing Multi professional Teamwork for Integrated Children's Team, Open University Press Beckett C and Walker S, (2004) Social Work Assessment and Intervention, Russell House Publishing . 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