Therapeutic Recreators as Family Therapists: Working with Families on a Children's Psychiatric Unit

Authors

  • H Gino DeSalvatore

Keywords:

Family Therapy, Psychiatric Hospital, Interdisciplinary Approaches

Abstract

Changing a child's behavior on an in-patient psychiatric unit requires input from many different professionals. The child's doctor works on individual issues, the social worker focuses on family areas, the mental health counselors help with activities for daily living as well as transitions and one-to-one counseling, and finally the activity specialists work within the biopsychosocial realm to improve overall functioning by using activities and play. There are times when these professionals must step over their boundaries and implement treatment goals developed by other treatment team members.  Thus, the frequency of personnel working with families bas increased in recent years. But many activity therapists lack the knowledge and skills needed to work with the family as a whole. The goal of this paper is  to provide  a concrete, step-by-step outline with skills  and techniques that activity therapists can use in working with parents and children.

Published

1989-04-01

Issue

Section

Regular Papers