Real Life Heroes in Residential Treatment: Implementation of an Integrated Model of Trauma and Resiliency-Focused Treatment for Children and Adolescents with Complex PTSD

Real Life Heroes (RLH) engages children and caregivers to rebuild (or build) emotionally supportive relationships, develop self-regulation and co-regulation skills, reduce traumatic stress reactions, and integrate a positive self-image through conjoint life story work. RLH includes psychoeducation, a life story workbook, multi-modal creative arts, and a toolkit to help practitioners implement National Child Traumatic Stress Network recommended components of treatment for Complex PTSD as a child and family transition from residential treatment to home and community-based programs. A case study and results from pilot studies highlight utility of the model for residential treatment and how RLH can help residential treatment programs implement evidence-supported trauma and resiliency-focused treatment including incorporation of NCTSN curricula to provide an integrated framework for practitioners, residential counselors, county case managers, educators, resource parents, home-based counselors, mentors, and other caring adults.     

Play to the Whistle: A Pilot Investigation of a Sports-Based Intervention for Traumatized Girls in Residential Treatment

Adolescents in residential treatment settings have symptoms that prevent them from participation in normal youth activities, which in turn prevent development of social skills and competencies. A sports-based intervention called “Do the Good” (DtG) was designed for this population using trauma-informed treatment principles. This paper describes the intervention model and presents outcome data. A total of 88 female residential students aged 12 to 21 participated, including 62 students voluntarily enrolled in the sports league and 26 treatment-as-usual (TAU) comparisons. Positive behaviors (e.g., helping peers, perseverance) during games were observed and coded for sports league participants and their coaches. Mental health charts of DtG and TAU participants were reviewed for behavior and symptoms prior to program participation, and again post-program. Girls in the sports league exhibited reductions in restraints and time-outs, as well as internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These data provide evidence that sports-based interventions present a promising adjunctive approach for traumatized youth.     

Traumatized Youth in Residential Treatment Settings: Prevalence, Clinical Presentation, Treatment, and Policy Implications

Children and adolescents with histories of traumatic exposure comprise a substantial portion of youth in residential treatment programs. However, until recently, little has been known about this specific population. Given the well-documented unique treatment considerations for traumatized youth, it is important to understand how the distinct needs of this population factor into the particular residential treatment setting approach. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of this vulnerable youth population, the impact trauma exposure can have on their clinical presentation and response to treatment, and the available empirical research regarding effective intervention strategies. In addition, policy implications specific to traumatized youth receiving treatment in residential settings are discussed.     

Treatment Profiles of Troubled Female Adolescents: Implications for Judicial Disposition

Increasing numbers of girls are entering the juvenile justice system. This growing number of females creates a dilemma for judges concerned with appropriate disposition to treatment and diversion: since current intervention methodologies were developed primarily for males, how effective are they for females? The current paper describes a research process that addressed this issue. A sample of troubled adolescents was selected from a residential treatment facility. Data were collected from 137 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 (65 female [47%] and 72 male [52%]) regarding variables related to twenty-three behavioral and psychosocial problems. These data were then subjected to a cluster analysis. Two distinct treatment profiles were formed, each differing in composition by gender. Based on the results of the cluster analysis, the researchers conducted a literature review to determine the implications of those profiles for successful disposition and treatment.     

Adolescents with Psychopathic Characteristics in a Substance Abusing Cohort: Treatment Process and Outcomes

Psychopathy is a condition with important consequences both for individuals who experience it and for the communities in which they live. Although the assessment of psychopathy among adolescents remains controversial, some evidence suggests that the affective and behavioral traits of adult psychopathy begin to emerge in childhood (B. B. Lahey & A. Kazdin, 1990) and continue across the lifespan (A. E. Forth, S. D. Hart, & R. D. Hare, 1990). The present study used the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV; A. E. Forth, S. D. Kosson, & R. D. Hare, in press) to retrospectively assess psychopathic characteristics, treatment process, and outcomes of 64 individuals referred for treatment to a substance abuse program for adjudicated adolescents. This study focused on the relationship between psychopathic characteristics and treatment process and outcome variables, including attrition rates, quality of participation, substance use throughout treatment, clinical improvement, and 12-month recidivism rates. Psychopathic characteristics were negatively related to treatment process and outcome variables, including attrition, participation, substance use, and clinical improvement. Psychopathic characteristics were positively related to the number of arrests in the 12 months following treatment completion. Implications for treatment and future research with adolescents displaying psychopathic characteristics are discussed.     

Enhancing Treatment Outcomes for Male Adolescents with Sexual Behavior Problems: Interactions and Interventions

This exploratory study identifies patterns of multidisciplinary interactions and interventions that aim to improve outcomes for juvenile sex offenders (JSOs). With a response rate of 63.45% at two major statewide conferences in Texas, data from 336 JSO service providers suggest that interactions among service providers should occur before the delivery of interventions. Factor analyses indicated that Protocol (26%), Collaboration (17%), and Role Clarity (15%) explain 58% of the variance in “Multidisciplinary Interactions,” while Counseling (13%), Treatment Placement (11%), and Self-Discipline (10%) explain 34% of the variance in “Interventions.” Treatment staff preferred the implementation of cognitive and person-centered treatment approaches. Additional research is needed to establish objectivity and increase awareness about the importance of service diversity with a common goal within this multidisciplinary community.     

Group Treatment for Aggressive Women: An Initial Evaluation

There is virtually no information or research on group treatment for women who may behave abusively to intimate partners. The Calgary Counseling Centre has offered a group treatment program for such clients, Responsible Choices for Women, over the past several years. This paper describes the group format, the demographic characteristics of the 64 women who began the group, and a comparison of those who completed treatment versus those who dropped out. The pre/mid/post-test group evaluation utilized measures of physical and non-physical partner abuse, self-esteem, depression, clinical stress, marital satisfaction, family relations, locus of control, sex roles, and assertiveness. The repeated measures analysis on data from 33 women found statistically significant improvements on non-physical abuse of partner, clinical stress, generalized contentment, self-esteem and assertiveness, using a conservative p-value of .009, given the use of multiple tests. Clinical implications of these results are described.

Child-to-Parent Violence in Adolescents: The Perspectives of the Parents,Children, and Professionals in a Sample of Spanish Focus Group Participants

This study explored the characteristics of child-to-parent violence (CPV) in Spain based on the narrations of adolescents who perpetrate this kind of violence, their parents, and the professionals who work in this area. A qualitative design was used. Focus groups were asked about the risk factors associated with CPV, such as exposure to family violence, discipline, and psychological characteristics of the adolescents. Interviews were videotaped, transcribed, and reviewed independently by each investigator to identify and group distinct comments into categories with specific themes. Results suggest that CPV is mainly linked to exposure to marital conflict and family violence, permissive discipline, emotional disengagement in the father-child relationship, and symptoms of emotional stress and substance consumption in the children. Lastly, acts of CPV seem to be an attempt by the children to gain power in the context of family relations in which the parents display their incapacity to establish control. As several family and personal characteristics appear to be involved in CPV, it is recommended that family and individual approaches be considered for treatment.     

Light Treatment of a Complex Problem: The Law of Self-Defence in the Wall Case

In its recent Wall Opinion, the International Court of Justicegave rather short shrift to Israel’s claims that the constructionof the wall could be justified as an act of self-defence inthe sense of Article 51 United Nations Charter. This articleassesses the Court’s approach and places it in the broadercontext of ICJ pronouncements on the use of force. It suggeststhat the Court failed to appreciate the complex legal problemsto which Israel’s claim gave rise, in particular the problemof self-defence against attacks by non-state actors. It showsthat the Court’s restrictive understanding of self-defence,while following the 1986 merits judgment in the Nicaragua case,is difficult to bring in line with modern state practice, andincreases the pressure to admit other, non-written, exceptionsto Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.     

Exploring Risk: Potential Static,Dynamic, Protective and Treatment Factors in the Clinical Histories of Female Sex Offenders

Despite nearly a century of knowledge indicating a significant number of women engaging in sexual activities with children, the phenomenon has not yet been fully acknowledged. Recently, however, there has been a marked increase in research in this area. However, due to the relatively small numbers of detections or convictions there remains a lack of data regarding: (1) the specific clinical characteristics of female sex offenders; and (2) how these clinical factors link to re-offending and treatment need. The following study examines potential risk, protective, and treatment factors that are highlighted through the process of clinical intervention, using an adapted version of the Beech and Ward (2004) risk framework. We describe how female sex offenders typically display clinical deficits in the same risk domains as their male counterparts, while noting the ways in which these deficits manifest in this population. In addition, we compare these vulnerability factors in four established types of female sex offender.     

Group Treatment for Spouse Abuse: Are Women with PTSD Appropriate Participants?

Eighty four abused women seeking therapy with their husbands were accepted into a group treatment program for spouse abuse. In the current study, we evaluated the treatment outcome of those women (n = 27) diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD diagnosis, itself, did not differentiate those women who dropped out of treatment. Results indicated, however, that across all women, avoidance symptomatology significantly differentiated treatment completers from dropouts. Although women with PTSD began treatment in worse condition (lower marital satisfaction, higher depressive symptomatology, greater fear of spouse), post-assessment revealed they achieved positive treatment gains parallel to those of women without PTSD. Women with PTSD improved on each outcome variable measured, including a reduction in fear of spouse. Women with PTSD also did not differentially drop out of either treatment condition (men's/women's versus conjoint groups) which lends support to the appropriateness of conjoint treatment for spouse abuse.     

Writing Histories of Law and Emotion

In recent years the study of emotions in the past has received considerable attention. At the same time, many historians of law have shown reluctance to acknowledge and systematically explore emotions in legal sources and legal contexts. This issue of the Journal of Legal History addresses this imbalance and demonstrates how emotions have played important roles in legal reasoning, legal doctrine, the behaviour of legal actors, and the development of law over time. This article investigates recent developments in the study of the history of emotions and of emotions in contemporary law, before assessing the challenges of writing law and emotions histories. It argues for the importance of utilizing both legal and extra-legal source material to uncover the relationship between legal rationality and emotion; to gain insights into the emotional worlds of those participating in legal systems; and to provide a deeper understanding of the workings of the law.     

Education Counts: Turning Crisis Into Opportunity for Adolescents

This essay, adapted from the keynote address delivered at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges’ 72nd Annual Conference on July 13, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois, focuses on adolescents and education—a strategy that is not only economically sound but also logical, indeed honorable. So just how do we begin to turn the crisis facing too many children and families into opportunity? How do we interrupt, and reroute, that perilous pipeline to prison? How do we help to build off‐ramps from the disastrous destiny that awaits so many young people? How do we regain our leadership role in constructive juvenile justice instead of juvenile incarceration? I believe judges can take a leadership role in addressing these questions. It's our children's future to be sure, but it's ours too. Indeed, it's the very future of our nation that is at stake.     

论国民待遇原则在中国的实施

实施国民待遇原则,对欠发达国家有刺激和抑制两种作用,为此,我国应实施进取性的应对战略, 重点解决“超国民待遇”问题、国内公平竞争问题,正确处理贯彻国民待遇原则与保护国内产业的 关系。