11. Restoration of the Past:
A Guide to Therapy with Placed Children
Presenter:
Marilyn W. Silin, MA
Chair:
Renee Schwartz, PhD
Self Psychology Page | 21th Conference
Program
Children referred for placement invariably have suffered multiple losses and are especially vulnerable to severe pathology because of unresolved mourning and unfavorable life circumstances preexistent to subsequent placements. They suffer from gross deficits in development and exhibit behavior which represents dis-turbances om cohesion and self regulation. The pathology often results from unfulfilled longings, or from the tensions between irreconcilable motifs which lead to failutes to integrate overwhelming experiences.
The case of a ten-year-old child in placement in a therapeutic group home is presented in detail, with emphasis on the strengthening of her self through merger with the combined qualities of the therapist and the major child care worker.
Within this self-object matrix the therapist succeeds in helping the child rework her past history and to develop new shared meanings which reduce confusion and anxiety, thus opening paths for future growth in consolidation of the self.
The therapy is divided into four phases: Garden of Eden, Regression, Convalescence and Recovery. Self psychology and narrative theories inform the clinical interventions as well as theoretical understandings of the case.