PhotoTherapy Discussion Group

PhotoTherapy Discussion Group
[ PhotoTherapy Discussion Group ]

Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Craig Steinberg on 10/2/2004, 9:54 am
67.171.237.190

Hello fellow connosieurs (sp?) of Phototherapy! I am a psychologist based in Eugene, Oregon and my work specializes in work with children and families who have extensive trauma and abuse histories. For over 4 years now, I have been running Phototherapy groups for children ages 8-13 at a residential program in Oregon, Jasper Mountain. I do groups in both video and still camera formats. Currently, I am running a still camera format group in which the children tell their story in a past, present, and future format from their perspective, their control, and their vision. They take their own photos, develop their own photos in the darkroom, and present their own photos in the group setting. My role as facilitator and group leader has been to help guide the children within a safe and supportive setting to tell their story, which needs to be heard. I always work with a co-leader and I hope I never have to do a group without one. Intense themes of sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, abandonment, parental alcohol and drug use are being raised by the children in the group, with much bravery, courage, and honesty. As they are writing, sketching, or drawing out their storylines for past, present, and future,they are concurrently developing ideas for their photoshoots of past, present, and future. The children decide if there will be actors (i.e., role players) in their photos, if so who will be the actors in their photos, what props they will use or need, and what setting they want for their various photos. It has been amazing and inspiring for me to witness how the children when they begin to feel safe, start to fly in their confidence in telling their story. I see the confidence growing in their face and voice. The group has an important component of empathy built into it both formally and as a natural part of the process, which adds to the safety. I feel the power of the group lies in the children having control of the full process of telling their story start to finish. This involves formulating their ideas, taking their photos and writing their story, developing their own photos, and discussing their photos with one another in the group. My excitement for this group and for the resiliency of these children is boundless and continuing.
I invite any of you who are interested in hearing more about how I do Phototherapy with children with extensive trauma histories to email me and/or post responses to my message. Keep up the good work in your own photography ventures! It is a medium which provides an important outlet for each of us to "tell" our stories!
Craig Steinberg

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Mark Wheeler on 10/26/2004, 6:48 am, in reply to "Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"

Hi Craig,
I don't know if you're interested, & if you are I'd like to hear your response to the themes raised, in my book chapter "Male therapist Countertransference & the importance of family context" in Murphy, J (2002) "Lost for Words, art therapy in the treatment of sexual abuse", Bruner-Routledge, as very little seems to have been written about male therapists working with children who have suffered sexual abuse.
I have never used a groupwork modality working with issues arising from sexual abuse so I look forward to hearing more. Your work sounds amazing but making massive demands on therapist/facilitator, so I imagine supportive clinical supervision must be essential.
Where the abuse coincides with traumatic-attachment I imagine phototherapy will have particular dimensions. I look forward to hearing more.
Best wishes
Mark

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Craig Steinberg on 10/29/2004, 8:02 am, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"
67.171.237.190

Mark, Thank you for your response to my posting. I am indeed interested in reading your chapter in Murphy's book. I have not seen that book so I look to you to direct me as to how I can get it. Your addressing issues about male therapists working with children having sexual abuse histories, as well as the countertransference issues that can arise from doing this work, are important ones in my opinion.
Regarding being a male therapist, I believe it can be clinically powerful and healing for children with abuse and trauma issues to work with a male therapist. Of course, each child must be looked at individually whether working with a male or female therapist would be best for them at that particular time. Regarding the group, one thing I do to both "cover myself," as well as provide safety to the children is I am never alone in the darkroom with the children when they are developing pictures, I will always have a female co-therapist or female member of our treatment team with me. In fact, I have always had a female co-leader doing the group with me, which has benefits in many ways.
Regarding your second important point about the therapist being affected by the kids' issues as well as the need for supportive clinical supervision, I have three words to say to that, YES, and YES! I do get affected by what has happened to these children and share with the kids my feelings of anger, sadness, and hurt regarding what happened to them. I have learned to present this in such a way as to empathize with them, rather than have them take care of my feelings. I also share that the abuse that happened to them was not their fault, that they did not do anything to cause it, and that it should have never happened to them. Finally, I share my admiration and awe about their incredible bravery and resiliency. Mine and the co-leaders' personal sharing appears to build on the safety of the group and helps validate their experience as well as role model for the kids supportive and safe adult figures (particularly me being a male). It also helps me tremendously to share how all of their trauma affects me. I have a beautiful and scenic 25-minute drive home each day from work, which also helps me greatly to unwind from the day's work. Needless to say, on group days I am particularly drained, both physically and emotionally, when I get home from work. These nights are a total veg night with my wife, our cats and dog, and the TV. It highlights the absolute need that clinicians need to take care of ourselves and have interests outside of our work including ones that maintain our physical and emotional health in order to be of service to our clients. Thanks again for your reply, Mark, and I look forward to reading your chapter, and the rest of the book.
Craig

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Mark Wheeler on 10/30/2004, 4:43 am, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"
81.79.35.80

Hello again Craig,
I was very moved by what you posted and reread it several times. In the background of this work is always that dreadful sense of the terrible things that some adults do to children, but we are so priviledged to have the opportunity to make a difference. I find one of my responses is to lose my liberal sensibilities and join the "hanging's too good for 'em" mentality.
I attended a SAP (Society of Analytical Psychologists) meeting last year addressing the impact of early abuse on developing brains and one of the speakers there was adamant that those of us who work with children who have been abused should also work with perpretators. I have only done this with one individual & found the countertransference so overwhelming that it became the principal topic in supervision for the duration of the contact.
Although Jenny Murphy's book appears to concentrate on art therapy most of the chapters are universally applicable to many modalities andthe last 3 chapters discuss group-work. The book is published by Brunner-Routledge who are the main publishers for academic work in the therapy field in the UK.
Murphy, J (2001)Lost for Words: Art Therapy with Young Survivors of Sexual Abuse
simultaneously published in USA & Canada by Taylor & Francis Group, 325 Chestnut Street, 8th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.tandf.co.uk
Keep up the good work
Mark

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Craig Steinberg on 10/30/2004, 9:14 am, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"
67.171.237.190

Thank you Mark for your kind, supportive, and informative words.
Craig

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Mia de Bethune on 10/13/2006, 7:22 am, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"

Hi Craig,
Judy Weiser suggested that I contact you. I'm an art therapist and the arts coordinator for the recreation dept of a large residential facility in NY State - The Children's Village - mostly boys - 11 and up to as old as 21. Many with trauma and abandonment histories. I am not at the moment running a photo group myself but have always used my camera and photographs of clients and their art work as a way to build aid in building positive identity.
My current concern is this. I have hired a photojournalist to work with a small group of boys using digital cameras to document their lives at the village. My program is funded to be "arts enrichment" and cannot technically be called therapy. Although he appears keen to work with this difficult population his sensitivity to their psychological needs and make-up is limited. I unfortunately am running painting group at the same time as he is doing his group and so other recreation staff are usually with him.
Any advice as to how to supervise him or activities you would suggest would be gratefully appreciated.
Regards,
Mia de Bethune, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Craig Steinberg on 10/15/2006, 10:38 am, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"
71.236.136.161

Hi Mia,
Thank you for contacting me about your program and your groups. I would be more than happy to help you with suggestions and ideas re: how to increase the "level of sensitivity" provided to the children's psychological needs. However, I must say that the help I can provide is above and beyond a simple one-time post to the discussion group. You can email me and we can begin our dialog that way and figure out together how best to converse regarding specific strategies/advice. I will say this as an overall piece of advice. For the groups to have any chance of success, and particularly in regard to such a sensitive population, there absolutely must be the following components. The first is SAFETY, psychologically and physically. The rest, in no particular order of importance, but all are important include the following: STRUCTURE, TRUST, and allowing the children to process their trauma and tell their story from where they are at, not from where they SHOULD be at in the minds of the group leader(s). Finally, to run these groups, it is esential that there be a leader who has experience and a high level of comfort in working with trauma and with children. It is wonderful that you have a skilled photographer, but to help the children access, process, and heal from their work in the group, it is essential to have someone who is skilled at working through this process. I can be of much further help to you when you email me. It's great hearing from someone from NY! What part of NY is your program? I am from Manhatten originally and NY is dear to my heart! Look forward to hearing from you. -------Craig

Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma

Posted by Mark Wheeler on 4/18/2007, 1:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Using Phototherapy in a group format to help children heal from abuse and trauma"
81.174.210.212

Hi Craig & everyone else,
I must stress how important Craig's message is about boundaries & clinical supervision, in working with child survivors of sexual abuse. Furthermore, there is always massive emotional abuse alongside any sexual abuse, and we are only now beginning to learn of the effects these have on the brain development of children (Schore, Solms, Cozolino and most recently and readably Margaret Wilkinson (2006) Coming Into Mind, Routledge pub www.routledgementalhealth.co.uk). The benefits of therapies that go beyond the verbal are especially important to these clients as early trauma particularly affects right brain development. My colleague, Frances O'Brien has contributed 2 papers on this topic to Inscape, the peer-reviewed Art Therapy Journal and has a book chapter in preparation that deals with the intergenerational aspects of abusive experience.
I will post publication details as soon as known.
Mark

« Back to index

[ PhotoTherapy Discussion Group ]