This book explores various aspects of violence and the attendant emotional, psychological, biological and social features that may be found to accompany these states in children. It highlights the importance of prevention and early intervention and the implicit use of therapy to help children who are in these vulnerable and dangerous states of mind and body. This book rests on fundamental psychoanalytic principles and processes as well as something very simple that we all know, that children and parents who have increased social and emotional support in our society are less likely to develop pathological ways of coping with the various stressors and strains that are in part an inevitable element of living in the 21st century and which may also be at times an inherent part of our psycho-biological make-up. Clinical material in all the chapters of this book also provide supporting evidence for how useful psychotherapy can be for children who have already developed coping strategies that are pathological, particularly in relation to violence. Research has found that too many obstacles are actually placed in the way of allowing violent children to receive the necessary treatment that could help them to overcome their violent tendencies. --- from the publisher Reviews: “Violence in Children consists of a wide-ranging series of contributions from eminent workers in the theory, practice and research into violent behaviour. It traces the many roots of violence to sources in childhood and it seeks to throw light on the complex problems that arise when extreme violence manifests itself in society. However, the authors do not attempt to offer direct and simplistic solutions to these problems. What they do provide is a series of illuminating questions and, above all, a framework for creative thinking from which helpful solutions might be arrived at and applied.” -- Dr. Bernard Barnett, Director, The Squiggle Foundation, author of You Ought To!, Training and Supervising Analyst, British Psychoanalytical Society ”Both the glamorization and the demonization of violence helps us avoid having to understand the violent mind. We should enter the violent person's subjective world, not just in order to be able to offer treatment, but also to better anticipate the nature of the risks they embody both to themselves and to society. The attempt at explanation does not amount to an exculpation; rather, understanding is the first step in the prevention of violence. The answer to the riddle of how an individual can lose restraint over his or her propensity to injure others must lie in what is ordinary rather than extraordinary: normal human development.” -- Peter Fonagy, Freud Memorial Professor of Psychoanalysis, Director, Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College, London; Chief Executive, Anna Freud Centre, London Contents: Foreword by Donald Campbell; 1) Early Life Trauma and the Psychogenesis and Prevention of Violence—Peter Fonagy; 2) Violence in Children--Dr. A. Brafman; 3) The Kick of Life—Roderick Macleod; 4) Non-Retaliation: Surviving a Violent Five- Year Old—Camilla Sim; 5) Violence and Babies—Dr. Stella M. Acquarone; 6) A Little Boy Left Alone—Claire Keogh; 7) Neutralising Terror—Rosemary Campher; 8) Finding Abused Children’s Voices: Junior School Living Nightmares—Valerie Sinason; Index About the Author: Rosemary Campher is a Practising UKCP registered Psychotherapist who works with children and adults. She lectures on Psychology and Psychotherapy at the British American College in London and works in private practice with children, adults and supervisees. She has worked for fifteen years with children.
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