Lessons from the lion's den, a phrase borrowed from Nancy Cotton's book:
Lessons from the Lion's Den: Therapeutic Management of Children in Psychiatric Hospitals and Treatment Centers, Nancy S. Cotton
I had the privilege of learning from Nancy while working at the Brighton Center for Children and Families in Boston, MA. BCCF was a long-term, intensive, residential treatment center serving children ages 5 to 12. I also worked on the psychiatric inpatient unit Nancy had previously managed at the New England Memorial Hospital in Stoneham, MA.
These are some of the lessons I've learned.
Staff Training Topics:
- Restraint and Seclusion: Reduction & Elimination
- Separating personal beliefs from professional responsibilities
- Behavior Management & Modification
- Power struggles, Power struggles, and Power struggles
- Coercive Transactions: How adults directly foster and increase aggressive child behavior.
- Program Positive: Keeping the Ratio Right
- Vicarious Trauma & Counter-transference: Recognizing and Managing
- De-escalation is the Meat and Potatoes.
- The Ins and Outs of Behavioral Observation
- Team, is Everything
- The Purpose of Programming
I will customize to fit your specific training needs.
Counter-transference is a very common and complex element of treatment relationships. It can be a particularly insidious problem. It has the potential to create significant staff-client relational problems and undermine treatment. Supervisors should remain particularly aware. Training and discussion should be frequent. Broadly defined, counter-transference is any staff generated emotional reaction to clients, from love or sexual attraction to outright hostility. If the words "he needs to have consequences!" are expressed by a staff member ... it is highly likely counter-transference is in play.
Personal v. Professional Beliefs. Know the difference and be able to leave personal beliefs at the program door. Professional beliefs are evidence-based best practices. Bring only professional beliefs into the work place.
Restraint & Seclusion: reduction and elimination is the only ethical pathway. Methods for reducing and eliminating these practices have long been available.
Kenneth H. Little, MA / 135 Lee Brook Road / Thornton, NH 03285 / 603-726-1006 / Achieve-ES.com / KenLittle-NH.com
