Treating Child and Adolescent Aggression Through Bibliotherapy (eBook)

Zipora Shechtman is Full Professor at the Faculty of Education, the School Counseling department, at the University of Haifa, Israel. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA; division 49), American Counseling Association (ACA; division of specialists of group work), American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA), and the Society for Research in Aggression. She is the Associate Editor of Group Dynamics (APA journal) and reviewer for several major journals in counseling and psychotherapy.Her major area of research is individual and group treatment of children at risk in the schools, including children with social difficulties, children with LD, children of divorce, and aggressive children. She has recently published a book (2007, Erlbaum) entitled Group Counseling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents. Treatment of aggression is her special interest; and she has published outcome and process research extensively in this area, conducted workshops on the treatment of aggression, and presented papers on the topic at international conferences. Her long practice with aggressive children and her intensive research on treatment will make this book a viable contribution to students, teachers, and professionals who are coping with aggressive youth.

Preface 6
Contents 9
The Nature of Aggressive Children 14
The Problem 14
Types of Aggression 16
Bullying 16
Reactive and Proactive Aggression 18
Causes of Aggression 20
Genetic, Biological, and Temperamental Factors 20
Family Factors 21
Social Influences 24
Learning Disabilities 26
Characteristics of Aggressive Children 27
Verbalization of Emotions 27
Empathy 29
Perception Problems: The Endorsement of Power 30
Self-control 31
Summary and Implications for Treatment 31
Bibliotherapy as a Method of Treatment 34
Introduction 34
Cognitive Bibliotherapy 35
Studies of Cognitive Bibliotherapy Treatments 36
Drawbacks of Cognitive Bibliotherapy 38
Affective Bibliotherapy 39
Benefits of Affective Bibliotherapy 39
The Need for a Therapist 41
Levels of Projection and Forms of Bibliotherapy Materials 43
Research Supporting the Contribution of Affective Bibliotherapy 45
Summary 49
Bibliotherapy and Treatment of Aggression 51
The Rationale for Using Bibliotherapy with Aggressive Children 51
The Theoretical Foundation 54
Studies Validating the Change Process 59
Therapist Skills 60
The Content of Intervention 63
Anger 63
Empathy 64
Power Use and Misuse 66
Lack of Self-control 68
Research Supporting Outcomes 70
Summary 75
The Application of Affective Bibliotherapy 78
Selecting the Literature: Literary Quality 78
Themes for Discussion 82
Anger and Anger Management 83
Increasing Empathy 84
The Misuse of Power 86
Self-control 88
Adjusting the Literature to the Change Process 89
The Initial Stage 89
The Working Stage 91
The Action Stage 93
Developmental Considerations 94
The Bibliotherapy Session: Process and Format 95
A Recommended Bibliotherapy Format 95
The Role and Skills of the Therapist 99
Summary 101
Groups for Aggressive Children 103
Introduction 103
Advantages of the Group Setting 104
Demonstration: A Group of Young Children 107
Introduction 107
The Group Process 107
Evaluation 112
Demonstration: A Group of Adolescents 113
Introduction 113
The Group Process 113
Evaluation 125
Summary 128
Individual Treatment 130
Introduction 130
Treatment of a Young Boy 130
Background 130
Treatment Process 131
Evaluation 137
Treatment of a Young Girl 138
Background 138
Treatment Process 138
Evaluation and Comparison with Barry 140
Treatment of an Adolescent Boy 141
Background 141
Treatment Process 141
Evaluation 144
Treatment of a Teenage Girl 145
Background 145
Treatment Process 145
Evaluation 148
Comparison of the Therapeutic Processes of Boys and Girls 148
Summary 149
Treatment in Pairs (Duo-Therapy) 151
Introduction 151
Treatment of Two Close Friends 152
Background 152
Treatment Process 152
Evaluation 155
Treatment of Two Rival Classmates 156
Background 156
Treatment Process 156
Evaluation 162
Treatment of a Young Youth Leader, Paired with Brother and Friend 163
Background 163
Treatment Process 164
Summary 168
Working with Caregivers 170
Introduction 170
Working with Mothers 170
Bibliotherapy with Mothers 173
A Mother Providing Treatment to Her Child 174
Research Supporting the Treatment of Mothers of Aggressive Children 177
Working with Teachers of Aggressive Children 179
Educating Teachers 182
Teachers Applying the Intervention to Students 183
Summary 185
Using Bibliotherapy as a Preventive Intervention in the Classroom 187
Introduction 187
The Preventive Program: Classroom Climate Intervention 188
Meeting Basic Needs 188
Positive Climate 189
Cognitive Exploration 189
Developing a Language of Self-expressiveness and Acceptance 191
Bibliotherapy 194
Positive Feedback 195
Termination 196
Description of a Complete Program 196
Session 1: The Ideal Classroom 196
Session 2: Classroom Rules 196
Sessions 3-4: ‘‘I Wonder Statements’’ 197
Session 5: Urgent Disturbing Issue 197
Session 6: Communication 197
Session 7: Positive Feedback 197
Sessions 8-9: Bibliotherapy 198
Session 10: Self-Expression 198
Session 11: Termination 198
Outcomes 198
Evaluations of the Intervention 199
Teachers’ and Counselors’ Feedback 200
Summary 201
Summary and Conclusions 202
Introduction 202
Description of Childhood Aggression 202
The Rationale for Using Bibliotherapy 205
The Implementation of Bibliotherapy 208
Treating the Caregivers 209
The Evidence Base of the Bibliotherapy Intervention 210
Concluding Remarks 212
Appendix A: Translated Stories and Poems 214
The Present/Y. Sade 214
The Smiley Face/Itzhak Noy 215
Yaron Is Angry/Dvora Omer 216
Appendix B: Stories from Teaching Pictures 219
The Bully/Sylvia Tester 219
The Underdog/W. E. S. Folsom-Dickerson 220
He Did Not Come/Sylvia Tester 222
References 224
Literature 233
Foreign Literature (Hebrew) 233
Films 234
Index 235