Emotionally Abused & Neglected Child

Emotional abuse and neglect are at the core of all types of child maltreatment, and have the most harmful effects on the physical and psychological development and well-being of children. Yet they are considered to be the most difficult to deal with by those who have the responsibility to protect and intervene in effective ways. While it is well known that the emotional effects of divorce, family violence or substance abuse can cause problems later in a child’s life, we have come to realise that overprotection and bullying at school can be equally crippling. The Emotionally Abused and Neglected Child, Second Edition, discusses the ways in which we can identify and assess cases of emotional abuse and neglect. Using proven theories and illustrative case studies, it adopts a multidimensional approach to effective intervention. The book provides checklists, assessment tools and a wide range of therapeutic methods, all tested for efficacy. The methods used include play therapy, attachment work, family therapy, behavioural-cognitive therapies and marital counselling. Looking beyond the family context, it discusses legal aspects and it investigates problems in residential settings, foster homes, schools, detention centres and secure units. This second edition features a range of new topics, including bullying, divorce and domestic violence, and has been expanded to include adolescents. It provides a fully comprehensive study of this area, and will be an invaluable resource for social workers, paediatricians, psychologists, health visitors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, parents, foster-parents, carers and all others involved in this problematic area. Emotional abuse and neglect are at the core of all types of child maltreatment, and have the most harmful effects on the physical and psychological development and well-being of children. Yet they are considered to be the most difficult to deal with by those who have the responsibility to protect and intervene in effective ways. In this book the author explores the concept of a damaged child, and asks what are the different types of injury, ranging from active to passive, physical to emotional, that stop children from reaching their full potential psychologically and physically? The author questions whether emotional damage to a child can be repaired and answers questions such as: Is some injury irreversible? What therapeutic techniques are available to deal with emotional abuse? Can the abusers as well as the abused be helped to change? Case studies are provided to illustrate the features of emotional abuse, and chapters are devoted to the assessment and prediction of emotional abuse, effects of emotional abuse as the child grows up, intervention and treatment and working with the family as a whole.