Interrupting Cycles of Early Loss, Trauma and Abuse

This volume offers rich and detailed illustrations of the complex emotional needs of the children and parents in vulnerable families. The chapters also highlight the psychological toll that working with at risk groups takes on therapists and others charged with providing care for children and families whose internal worlds are often fragile and external worlds are often dangerous and chaotic. Above all, the contributions, whether taken together or individually make it abundantly clear that short-term solutions are simply not possible for adults or children who have been traumatized many times over. They also underscore the need for those working with traumatized groups to protect themselves from psychological exhaustion in order to maintain the emotional vitality that is necessary for effective work. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy.

Toni Heineman is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with individual children, adults, and families. She is the Founder and Executive Director of A Home Within, a national organization dedicated to meeting the emotional needs of current and former foster youth through relationship-based therapy and practices.

1. Introduction Toni Heineman 2. "Terrible Twos" and "Terrible Teens": The Importance of Play Joan Raphael-Leff 3. Containment, Trauma and Coherence: A Case Presentation and Discussion Marian Birch and Quen Zorrah 4. The "Dead Mother Syndrome" and the Child in Care: A Framework for Reflecting on Why Some Children Experience Multiple Placement Breakdowns Carolyn Hart 5. When the Lullaby is Missing: Healing from an Infancy in Foster Care Amy L. Cooper 6. Relationship Violence and Teenage Parents Ambra Born 7. Fostering Healthy Attachment Between Substance Dependent Parents and Their Infant Children June Madsen Clausen, Rosana M. Aguilar, and Mark E. Ludwig 8. Fostering Relationships with Children Who are "Too Much to Handle" Saralyn Ruff and Julia Baron