1st Edition

Hope for Children of Trauma An international perspective

By Panos Vostanis Copyright 2018
    174 Pages
    by Routledge

    174 Pages
    by Routledge

    Hope for Children of Trauma: An International Perspective synthesizes all the existing evidence, policy and practice from around the world for children and youth who have experienced different forms of complex trauma – such as abuse, neglect and war violence – and also presents a real advance in the literature, by covering new material from the author’s extensive visits and collaborations in low and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

    The book covers a historical and research overview of developments in trauma and child mental health, global policy and evidence on the impact of trauma on child mental health. In particular, this book communicates real experiences through narratives and supporting photographic material from children in slum areas, orphanages or on the streets, and explores the application of therapeutic approaches by frontline practitioners, therapeutic interventions, service development and training programmes.

    Integrating testimonies, observations, therapeutic interventions and research findings, Hope for Children of Trauma shows how these problems can be addressed, and will be thought-provoking reading for child and adolescent mental health practitioners, NGOs and policy-makers.

    Hope for Children of Trauma: A World Journey

    Panos Vostanis

    Taylor & Francis

    Table of Contents

    PREFACE

    CHAPTER 1: Ever Changing Approaches to Child Trauma

    Evolving concepts and attitudes towards children, trauma and mental health

    Complex trauma and its correlates

    Status and sources of evidence

    The whole is larger than the sum of parts: Why service modelling matters

    CHAPTER 2: Impact of Trauma on Child Mental Health

    The complex relationship between vulnerability and trauma

    Nature and extent of mental health problems

    Changing approaches to vulnerability and resilience

    The increasing influence of socioecological and resilience theories

    Inter-linked vulnerability and resilience factors through an ecological lens

    Conceptualizing resilience systems and their interactions

    CHAPTER 3: Child Vulnerability in a Global Context

    How much can we alter a child’s life trajectory?

    High-income countries: Policy, evidence and emerging models, but "not everything that shines is gold"

    The constant flux of middle-income countries

    Low-income, developing or third world countries?

    CHAPTER 4: Looking for Answers: From Birmingham Shelters to Mumbai Slums

    Societal, cultural and economic changes

    Advances in practice and therapeutic approaches

    Service models: The weakest link

    Why hard-to-reach groups are also hard to research

    Principles and components of high-income countries service model for vulnerable children

    Why can we not just translate this model to low- and middle-income countries?

    CHAPTER 5: The Road to WACIT

    A Trail Blazer into the unknown

    Nearly impossible question, or just our own ignorance?

    Exploring readiness of systems and communities, strengths and challenges

    Partnerships, evidence and the preliminary WACIT model

    Building the model: The second WACIT phase

    The 6 Continents in 6 Weeks launch: More than mere symbolism

    CHAPTER 6: Level 1: Children’s Safety should Permeate Policy, Attitudes and Environments

    Levels and thresholds of safety

    Policy and legislation

    Implementation in child care practice

    Shifting attitudes

    Thinking ‘child’, ‘vulnerability’ and ‘mental health’

    Physical environments and people cannot be disentangled

    Interprofessional training means interprofessional care

    CHAPTER 7: Nurturing Attitudes and Approaches

    Parents and extended family

    Kinship care: Within-family or external placement?

    Adoptive parents: from assessment to permanency

    The wide spectrum of residential care staff needs

    Community practitioners’ multiple roles

    CHAPTER 8: Building Resilience at School and in the Community

    Life never stops in the therapy room

    School-based interventions

    Involving communities: Exciting but largely untested opportunities

    The role of mentors

     

    A new experience of belonging

    Linking emotional literacy with a business nous

    The power of religion, religiosity and spirituality

    CHAPTER 9: Application of Therapeutic Approaches

    ‘Therapeutic’: A widely used and often misunderstood word

    Psychoeducation

    Behavioural strategies

    Family and attachment-based approaches

    Trauma-focused strategies: Usually expected, but where does one start and stop?

    Cognitive-behavioural and other applications

    CHAPTER 10: Therapeutic Interventions

    Making sense of traumatic memories

    Therapeutic relief by touching upon the trauma

    Indications and misunderstandings of medication

    Multimodal programmes and principles

    CHAPTER 11: Always a Service Model, whatever the Constraints

     

     

    Absence of service modelling

    Policy encompassing vulnerability

    The more ‘inter’ the better, but without dilution

    From joint care pathways to joint care plans

    No need for specialists, but rather for specialist competencies

    The importance of indirect service activities

    Genuine user participation

    Are we making impact? The ever growing and changing role of service evaluation

    High-income countries (HIC)

    Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)

    CHAPTER 12: Training in a Service Context

    Service connotations and principles

    Inter-connectedness between training and service provision

    Learning objectives and format of delivery

    Trauma-related awareness and foundation knowledge

    Continuous professional development (CPD) or lifelong learning

    Optimizing the deceptively scary use of new technologies

    Organizational issues to be considered

    EPILOGUE

    BOOK REFERENCES BY CHAPTER

    Biography

    Panos Vostanis is a is Professor of Child Mental Health at the University of Leicester and Visiting Professor at University College London.