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NVAPT Nevada Association for Play Therapy March 2005 Newsletter Vol. 4, No. 3
President’s Message
Welcome! I hope this
finds each of you well. 2005 is off and running. And if you are anything
like me, you're wondering where the year has gone so far. The board has
been working very hard to make NVAPT all you have suggested. Thanks to
everyone who has filled out the survey and if you haven't yet, please
give us your input. We have such a great group with a wide wealth of
knowledge. Upcoming Meeting Please join us for our next branch meeting on March 17th. Come hear Elizabeth Harrison, Ed.S., MFT, present “Art as a Therapeutic Tool for Developing the I/Eye unto Self: Looking Through the Lens of Eating Disorders” (read the article below.) The meeting will be held from 6:30 - 8pm in the College of Education (William Raggio Building), Room 3007, on the UNR campus. Send questions or pre-registration to: shawnawillbrandt@aol.com. For information about CEUs, please go to the NVAPT Calendar at www.nvapt.org/calendar.htm.
Article: Art as a Therapeutic Tool for Developing the I/Eye unto Self: Looking Through the Lens of Eating Disorders By Elizabeth Harrison, Ed.S., MFT Mental Health Counseling 2061 Market Street, Reno, NV 89502 (775) 322-7771 Body image disturbance and eating disorders are increasing at an alarming rate. According to the federal Office on Women's Health, eating disorders are on the rise not only in the U.S. but worldwide. Adolescent white women seem to be most susceptible to body hatred and aberrant eating behavior yet ethnic groups and boys are demonstrating growing concern. Moreover, the average age of sufferers is dropping rapidly with problems showing up as early as nine years old. One national research report identified that 85% of 10 year-old girls attending public elementary schools have already been on a diet.
As the road to hell is often paved with good intention, the solution to diet can alienate the body from its original wisdom. Consequently, dieting can result in the rejection or silencing of the natural communication flow constantly occurring between mind and body homeostasis. To no avail, once the alienation occurs, individuals painstakingly struggle to replace a healthy form of mind-body communication. More frequently than ever before, clients are asking questions such as: How can I regain control over my body and my eating habits? Who am 1, and who is this body? Why am I unable to make my body eat what it is supposed to eat in amounts that are appropriate for my particular body's needs? Essentially, in order to answer these questions, therapists must help individual's mend the mind-body split.
Alexthymia is a medical condition frequently associated with eating disorders. Alexthymia is described as the absence of a "bridge" connecting thought with feeling. Dieting behavior can be an insidious cause of alexthymia in clients with eating disorders. Human existence without the ability to make sense out of thought with feeling and feeling with thought is like living in a head without a body. It reduces a sense of control and increases alienation from the self. As a panacea to this disconnection, our culture encourages us use food as a bridge between thought and feeling. For example, "I feel empty (thought), so I'll eat (to fill my loneliness (feeling)); I'm stressed (thought), so I will eat (to comfort my anger and anxiety (feeling)); I feel out of control (thought), so I wont eat anything (to numb my fear (feeling)); I feel bad for eating (thought), so I wont eat today (to numb my guilt and shame feeling). Often thoughts are acknowledged, but feelings are disconnected and numbed through the use of/abuse of food.
Helping clients to hardware a healthy means for communication between the mind and the body must occur in order for healthy therapeutic changes to occur. Feelings are the connection between mind and body. Talk-therapy is one successful approach to identifying and validating feelings and hence "re-bridging" the gap between mind and body. However, if clients do not have a vernacular for emotions in order to bridge the gap, other therapeutic tools are essential.
The state of the art in therapeutic intervention for individuals with eating disorders often surfaces in accredited professional workshops. Recently, eating disorder professionals are discovering that complimentary and alternative forms of therapy are yielding miraculous results. Art, music and body therapy are at the forefront for helping professionals in teaching clients to "rewire" the mind-body relationship. More specifically, art can be a therapeutic vehicle for connecting feeling with mind and body sensations. Art therapy provides individuals with a new way of perceiving the "I" or creating a third eye on one's Self. Through the focused use of art, a new information linking system occurs.
In this workshop, eating disorders and therapeutic art techniques will be discussed. Workshop attendees are invited to utilize these techniques in order to enhance their understanding of the mind and body relationship. Participants will deconstruct the Self and identify the interior world of their Self as a means for understanding the quality of the mind-body relationship.
Southern Representative Named The NVAPT is pleased to announce the newest member of the board, Southern Nevada Representative, Melissa Kalodner, Psy.D., RPT. Melissa is a licensed clinical psychologist and registered play therapist specializing in the treatment of children and adolescents. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Southern New Jersey. She is licensed to practice psychology in the state of Nevada and has received the distinction of Registered Play Therapist by the Association for Play Therapy, Inc. Dr. Kalodner currently practices in Las Vegas, where she has resided since May of 2000. She is an active member of the Nevada Youth Alliance and regularly gives play therapy trainings and workshops to parents and professionals. She is also an active board member for the Nevada State Psychological Association. Read more about the NVAPT’s Southern Representative, Melissa Kalodner, Psy.D., RPT, on her website at: www.drkalodner.com or e-mail her at pmctdoc@yahoo.com.
Article: Psychopharmacology and Play Therapy The highlight of the February 17th branch meeting was the presentation, “Psychopharmacology and Play Therapy,” delivered by Amy Chaffin, RN, MC, CS. Amy discussed many aspects of medication, including: the history of psychopharmacology as related to children, the necessity of administering medication to children with certain diagnoses, and common side effects of some medications. The presenter noted that some children with ADHD are prescribed stimulants, Ritalin or Concerta, and that a non-stimulant, non-addicting option, Strattera, has been available to the public since December 2002.
Amy identified the times when a child’s use of medication enhances the child’s play therapy experience. In part, this occurs when a medication results in the child’s increased behavioral control, improved ability to focus, and is more cooperative. Conversely, the presenter stated that it is contraindicated for kids to use medications and engage in play therapy if the side effects of the medication causes behavioral disruptions or causes an inability in the child to focus their attention.
Important Update At the June 30th meeting, new board members will be elected. The NVAPT welcomes you to read the role descriptions and see if one of these positions is just right for you. We welcome your participation in the Nevada Association for Play Therapy and hope you'll run for office. Please read about the board positions here.
From the Heart - Our Readers’ Column Finding New Silence
My teacher screams
words of hate,
faces of disgust, disdain,
contempt. She blurs into one
figure of fear over and over
spinning the same intent
to hurt, from pain she's blind to...
From pain, my own, I enter
the room for therapy,
where I play--am invited
to choose what it is
I hope to do or say.
I sit. Quietly in a corner
I think of my day, my teacher
who yelled and shamed till I heard
nothing at all. I disappeared
into silence. But in the play room
that's okay. In the play room
I'm allowed to just Be.
By Lynne Goldsmith, NVAPT member Membership It’s fast and easy to join the NVAPT. Dual membership in the Association for Play Therapy (national) and the Nevada Association for Play Therapy (state) is required. Individuals can join the organizations either as a professional or as an affiliate. APT members receive a quarterly newsletter that contains clinical articles and a semi-annual journal that presents research and case studies. Professional insurance options, distance learning opportunities, and a free annual membership directory are among the many additional benefits offered to APT members. Nevada branch members also receive NVAPT newsletters or e-newsletters containing information specifically related to play therapy in Nevada, such as meetings and conferences. To join, go to: www.nvapt.org/membership.htm.
A Child’s Mind “What does love mean?” Read the answers some children provided to this provocative question: · “When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.” Rebecca - age 8 · “Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.” Terri - age 4
·
When
someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You
·
You
really shouldn't say "I LOVE YOU" unless you mean it. But if you
·
“Love
is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
2005 NVAPT Annual Conference Make sure to plan for the upcoming annual conference. Mark you calendars for May 7, 2005; keep it open for a full day of play therapy information. Plans are underway now and it promises to be another exciting conference. Please check the NVAPT Calendar for updated information about this valuable event: www.nvapt.org/calendar.htm.
Contact Us NVAPT
c/o Jill Packman,
PhD, NCC, RPT-S
packman@unr.edu
(775) 784-6637 x 2065
phone
Questions
or problems with the functioning of this e-newsletter? Write to
Leslie Harman, MA, at
lesliencc@netscape.net |
