ENDANGERED FEELINGS - page 2

CRAIG
     Six-year-old Craig was admitted to the unit for fire setting.  He also had significant learning problems and low verbal skills.  His mother was a single parent with an extensive history of abusing chemicals, especially marijuana and alcohol.  Craig was very aware of his mother's drug use but had some misperceptions.  For example, he perceived that his mother would die if she stopped drinking beer, that it was a "habit that she couldn't stop."  Clinically, it was clear that Craig worried about his mom's use of chemicals and that his mom was not aware of the extent of his concerns.  She eventually decided to enter an outpatient chemical dependency program.  When she informed Craig of this decision, Numbfull was sitting by him on the sofa.  He picked up all of the little "Fulls", stuffed them inside Numbfull and stuffed them inside of his t-shirt.  Eventually, he was able to acknowledge that he had many feelings about his mom's not drinking alcohol anymore.

TODD
     Todd was a 10-year-old boy who was admitted to the unit for aggressive and out-of-control behavior at home, where there was significant family history of violence.  His father, who was physically abusive to Todd, his older sisters and his mother, currently was in jail for drunk driving violations.  Todd worked vary had to talk about his feelings, especially his fears of being abused again.  He worried that he and his family never would be safe from his dad.  His mother listened supportively to his fears, then shared her plan of how to keep everyone safe.
     At the end of each session, Todd's reward for sharing his feelings was to present a five-minute play using the puppets.  He metic8ulously would set up the chairs in the room to make a stage.  The plays always depicted the same plot:  Happypotomus and Crynoceros being terrorized by Trifearatops.  Angerilla would proved the grand finale saving the day.
     Obviously, the play depicted Todd's anxiety that dad would come back and harm his family and the boy's wish that someone more powerful than his dad would save them.  Todd was able to acknowledge that he thought it was his job as the "man of the house" to protect his sisters and mom.  Todd was "fired" from that job, and slowly he began to have more confidence in his mother's ability to keep the family safe.  During Todd's stay, his mom worked aggressively through the court system to press charges against the father and initiate orders for protection.

EVERYONE BENEFITS
     Through these examples, it was evident how people act in response to the puppets and, with them, are able to talk about critical issues.  Children often do not have the verbal skills or the medium to express their concerns.  With the help of these big, cuddly, soft puppets children may stop being afraid of family therapy and look forward to it as an opportunity to play and get parental affirmation.
     In therapy sessions, it is difficult to distinguish who is having the most fun or who has gained the most from the experience--parents, children or therapist.  Perhaps that is because everyone benefits.

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