Six Audio Discussions with Violet Oaklander, Ph. D.

Description

Gestalt Therapy With Children: In this first volume in the series, Dr. Oaklander discusses Gestalt therapy concepts applied to work with children, relationships of organismic self-regulation to children's needs, the child's sense of self and issues of contact, contact boundary disturbances, and vital considerations in the therapy process.
Working with the Anger of Children and Adolescents: This program covers anger as it relates to self, what children do with anger, steps in working with anger, techniques for working with anger, very young children and anger, adolescents and anger, and families and anger.
The Therapy Process With Children and Adolescents: This program explores the initial session, the issue of contact, the contact functions, the role of resistance, enhancing self-support, promoting emotional expression, dealing with the child's process, and termination.
Helping Children and Adolescents to Become Self-Nurturing: This program deals with the whole aspect of transforming negative, bad feelings about the self into loving, nurturing feelings toward the self. Since children tend to blame themselves for everything that happens to them, and since feelings of shame and guilt are often insidiously pervasive at the deepest level of the child's psyche, helping children learn to be self-accepting and actively self-nurturing is the single most important element in the therapeutic process. Specific examples of how to do this with children of all ages – from the very young child to the adolescent (and adult) are discussed.
Music As Therapy: A Therapeutic Use of Music Making with Children and Adolescents: This program presents a novel approach to using music making as a therapeutic experience. Music is continually created all around us in the sounds of birds, animals, insects, wind, and sea. Within each child – within each of us – is the capacity to create music. Through a natural form of music making, adapted from the work of the renowned musician Paul Winter, children experience and express aspects of the self in new ways while enhancing contact and communication skills. The experience is both enlivening and nourishing – energizing, while soothing and calming. This approach can be used in individual, group, and family therapy.
Treating Children with Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Dr. Oaklander finds it extremely interesting that such a large percentage of children are diagnosed as having attention deficit or hyperactive disorders. This program discusses possible causes, the issue of medication, and how Dr. Oaklander views these disorders from a Gestalt Therapy perspective. The main focus here, however, is to explore the treatment of these children. Those who work with children see a great many come into therapy with this diagnosis. How can we best help them feel good about themselves and develop and grow in healthy ways? Dr. Oaklander presents many case examples of children in her practice over the years, and their response to various modes of treatment. Although directed to therapists, parents and teachers will also find this work revealing and helpful.