Treating Families and Children in the Child Protective System: Strategies for Systemic Advocacy and Family Healing (Family Therapy and Counseling, 4)

Written by a psychologist who has worked with families and foster children for 11 years, Treating Families and Children in the Child Protective System is designed for therapists, social workers, family preservationists, court officers, attorneys, judges, and others caught up in the interplay of child protection. Using theory and compelling case studies, the author posits child abuse as an ultimate form of family injustice, requiring intervention at every level of the system. The author proposes a critically optimistic stance, approaching each case as a family-friend with practical and powerful tools to direct the overwhelming power of the system into a force for the restoration of family justice. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Series Editor’s Foreword......Page 11 Foreword......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 NOTE......Page 19 CHAPTER 1 Turning Points......Page 20 NOTES......Page 29 EARLY THINKING IN FAMILY INJUSTICE......Page 32 SYSTEMS AND THE THERAPIST AS ADVOCATE......Page 34 SOCIAL ACTION AND STRATEGIC HUMANISM......Page 36 RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AND THE FAMILY THERAPIST......Page 38 CONCLUSION: AN APPROACH IN CONTEXT......Page 40 NOTES......Page 41 CHAPTER 3 Curative Factors and Obstacles to Change......Page 42 PERSONAL INFLUENCE......Page 43 The Dangerously Powerless Therapist......Page 44 Value-Free Therapy......Page 46 Enacting Benevolent Power......Page 51 The Paradox of Power in Larger System Interventions......Page 53 THE BELIEF IN FREEWILL......Page 54 Psychobiology......Page 55 Diagnosis......Page 59 Environment......Page 60 The System......Page 61 UTILIZATION......Page 62 Utilization of the Past......Page 63 Self-Utilization......Page 64 Countertransference......Page 66 Friend or Phobe?: Critical Optimism and Family Nature......Page 67 The Problem of Constructivism......Page 69 CONTEXTUAL CHANGE......Page 70 Circularity in the Misunderstanding of Family Context......Page 71 The Outplacement of Children......Page 73 NOTES......Page 78 CHAPTER 4 Contrition, Forgiveness, and the Restoration of Justice......Page 80 LEVEL 1: ISOLATED......Page 82 LEVEL 2: ARTIFICIAL......Page 85 LEVEL 3: ILLUSORY......Page 89 LEVEL 4: SYMBOLIC......Page 92 LEVEL 5: SUBSTITUTE......Page 95 LEVEL 6: THE COMPLETE CONTRITION PROCESS......Page 98 Estimating “Readiness” and Treatment Length......Page 99 Didactic on Forgiveness......Page 101 Openness and Honesty: Evaluation and Practice......Page 102 Defining the Offense as a Spiritual Pain and Injustice......Page 103 Defining the Offender as Experiencing a Spiritual Pain......Page 104 The Ritual of Apology and Repentance......Page 105 Reparation as the Enactment of Apology......Page 106 Consequences and the Safety Plan......Page 107 Recontextualizing the Offense......Page 108 Restoring the Offender......Page 109 NOTES......Page 110 LEIA AND THE TERRIBLE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE......Page 112 Ask Him......Page 113 I Give to You from My Spirit......Page 116 The Humungous Box......Page 121 TO HEAL ME ALSO: JUSTIN’S CASE......Page 122 The Puppetmaster......Page 124 No Piece of Cake......Page 125 What Really Hurt......Page 128 A Sign of Meaningfulness......Page 132 A Long, Winding, Bumpy Road......Page 134 NOTES......Page 137 CHAPTER 6 I Never Heard You Cry Before......Page 140 WHAT HURT WORSE......Page 141 TO FAIL AT FAILING......Page 144 LOOKING INTO THE EYES OF YOUR DAUGHTER......Page 147 CHAPTER 7 Navigating the Child Protective System......Page 158 Attorneys......Page 159 The Judge......Page 161 CASAs......Page 162 Caseworkers......Page 164 The Power of Information......Page 165 Supply and Demand......Page 166 Missionaries......Page 168 The Innkeeper......Page 169 The Professional......Page 170 The Civilians......Page 172 Kinship Placements......Page 173 Group Homes......Page 174 Adoptive Homes......Page 175 THE FUNDAMENTAL FLAW......Page 179 A TALE OF TWO PLACEMENTS......Page 180 CONCLUSION: THE BABY AND THE BATHWATER......Page 181 NOTES......Page 182 THERAPIST OR EVALUATOR......Page 184 Witnesses: Fact, Expert, and Expert Treater......Page 185 A HIERARCHY OF PRIORITIES......Page 186 The Family......Page 187 The Nonoffending Family Members......Page 188 Society......Page 189 LEVELS OF FAMILY RECONSTRUCTION......Page 190 Reconciliation......Page 191 Reintegration......Page 192 TESTING AND EVALUATION......Page 193 Category 1. Formal Evaluation......Page 195 Category 2. Semiformal Evaluation......Page 196 Category 3. Informal Evaluation......Page 197 WORKING WITH THE CPS “TEAM”......Page 198 Overt Suppression of Dissent......Page 199 CONCLUSION: BEST INTERESTS, BEST PRACTICES, AND BEST OUTLOOK......Page 200 NOTES......Page 202 CHAPTER 9 Tracks and Strategies in the Foster Care Crisis......Page 204 THE PYGMALION COMPLEX......Page 205 THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF......Page 206 THE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME......Page 208 THE UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER......Page 209 WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS: AGING OUT......Page 211 CONCLUSION: FOSTER CARE AND THE JOURNEY TOWARD JUSTICE......Page 213 NOTE......Page 214 CHAPTER 10 You Can’t Fight the System......Page 216 RED CHIEF EMERGES......Page 219 CAPITULATION AND REDEMPTION......Page 220 RISK AND REUNIFICATION......Page 227 NOTE......Page 228 CHAPTER 11 Defending September......Page 230 INTO THE FRAY......Page 231 THE LABYRINTH......Page 234 IN EXILE......Page 243 DEAD ENDS AND DEADBEATS......Page 250 TODAY WELL LIVED......Page 255 NOTES......Page 257 THE KANSAS CITY PROJECT......Page 258 OVERVIEW......Page 260 TOWARD A PARADIGM SHIFT......Page 262 INTEGRATING AND EVOLVING THE CONTRITION MODEL......Page 264 CASE EXAMPLES......Page 271 CONCLUSION: A PROGRAM CHANGED......Page 274 CHAPTER 13 Epilogue......Page 276 NOTE......Page 281 References......Page 282 Index......Page 288 Demonstrates how to uphold the principles of social justice while serving the downtrodden victims trapped within the confines of the often times chaotic and fragmented child welfare system. By using theory and compelling case studies, the author posits child abuse as an ultimate form of family injustice, requiring intervention at every level of the system. The author proposes a critically optimistic stance, approaching each case as a family-friend with practical and powerful tools to direct the overwhelming power of the system into a force for the restoration of family justice Turning Points Justice Themes in Family Therapy Curative Factors and Obstacles to Change Contrition, Forgiveness, and The Restoration of Justice The Power of Apology I Never Heard You Cry Before Navigating the Child Protective System Family-Friendly Therapy and Evaluation: Priorities and Process Tracks and Strategies in the Foster Care Crisis You Can't Fight the System Defending September Ringing the Bell: Integrating Contrition into an Existing Program of Treatment for Offenders and Victims of Abuse. Crenshaw proposes a new integration of many of the existing theories and practices of family and child counselling with those of the welfare, child protection, and social services programs.