Much has been written about cognitive development in those who are cognitively impaired. Much is written about attachment for people who don't have disabilities. Yet people with disabilities have suffered discrimination and neglect of their emotional needs, perhaps because the pain of difference cannot be tolerated, perhaps because of lack of will or lack of knowledge. This book aims to help to fill the knowledge gap and to encourage others to overcome their resistance to facing the pain, and will be an important contribution to our understanding of the world of disability and emotional deprivation. In this book - a result of over twenty years experience with people who have disabilities and additional distress as a result of traumatic life experiences - an attempt is made to bring together what we know about early emotional development and the consequences of failure to provide an emotionally nurturing experience, and the results are then applied to people with disabilities.

This comprehensive volume provides the knowledge and skills that mental health professionals need for more effective, informed work with clients with disabilities. Combining her extensive knowledge as a clinician, researcher, and teacher with her personal experience as someone with a disability, Olkin provides an insider's perspective on critical issues that are often overlooked in training. A lucid conceptual framework is presented for understanding disability as a minority experience, one that is structured by social, legal, and attitudinal constraints as well as physical challenges. Illuminating frequently encountered psychosocial themes and concerns, chapters describe a range of approaches to dealing with disability issues in the treatment of adults, children, and families. Topics addressed include etiquette with clients with disabilities; special concerns in assessment, evaluation, and diagnosis; the impact of disability on sexuality and romance, as well as pregnancy, birthing, and parenting; the use of assistive technology and devices; disability and substance abuse; and more. Filled with clinical examples and observations, the volume also discusses strategies for enhancing teaching, training, and research.

This book provides the reader with insightful and useful ways to provide psychotherapy treatment for individuals who have intellectual disability (ID). It brings together all three modalities (individual, couple, and group), and a variety of theoretical models and techniques are discussed. The first section, Individual Therapy, offers a variety of approaches and techniques including dialectical behavioral therapy, positive psychology, mindfulness-based practice, and relaxation framing. Also included in this section are chapters on specialty populations including victims of abuse, people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, and people in mourning. The second section is a chapter on group therapy addressing trauma issues. The third section is on family and couple therapy. The fourth section covers chapters on research, ethics, and training. The individual authors are respected authorities in the field of providing psychotherapy treatment for persons with ID, and all have contributed to the professional literature. This book is a major contribution to the effort to make psychotherapy available to individuals who have ID and should serve to further stimulate interest in the provision of psychotherapy treatment for individuals who have ID co-occurring with significant mental health problems. Book jacket.

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a new development in the treatment of people with learning disabilities and mental health problems, which traditionally has utilised behavioural management and limited counselling. The papers collected here have evolved from the work of the pioneering Learning Disabilities Service at the Tavistock Clinic, London, which is made up from specialised professionals from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, child and adolescent psychotherapy, adult psychotherapy and social work. The service mainly offers individual psychotherapy but also provides group work, parent work, family therapy and consultative work with professionals where necessary.

Clinicians outside of rehabilitation psychology do not receive training on how to work with clients with disabilities. Nonetheless, given that people with disabilities comprise over 15% of the population, virtually all clinicians will have clients with disabilities in their practice. Without education or training in disability, clinicians are prone to make errors in estimating the role of disability in the presenting problems and the case formulation. Disability-Affirmative Therapy (D-AT) helps clinicians put the disability of a client into proper focus, without making one of the usual mistakes associated with cross-cultural therapy: overinflating the role of the disability, or underestimating its profound effects. D-AT provides a template for evaluation - nine areas to be discussed with the client - that allows understanding of the client's lifetime experiences with disability. The template is not a theory of therapy, but an overlay onto the therapist's own approach, thus having broad appeal and utility. D-AT is a positive and affirming approach to therapy with clients with disabilities, regardless of the theory of therapy used. The book contains many vignettes to illustrate key points and an extended case example to which the D-AT template is applied. Grounded in social and clinical psychology research, this book will be an important and unique guide to all clinicians working with clients with disabilities and their families.

Intellectual Disability and Psychotherapy: The Theories, Practice and Influence of Valerie Sinason charts the transformative impact of the noted psychotherapist’s work with children and adults with intellectual disabilities upon both a generation of clinicians and the treatment and services delivered by them. Examining how contemporary Disability Therapists have discovered, used and adapted such pioneering concepts as the Handicapped Smile and Secondary Handicap as a Defence Against Trauma in their clinical work, the book includes contributions from renowned practitioners and clinicians from around the world. It shines a light on how Sinason’s work opened doors for working with people who were previously thought of as unreachable. Intellectual Disability and Psychotherapy will be an essential resource to anyone working with children or adults with disabilities, as well as psychotherapists interested in exploring Valerie Sinason’s work.

This book provides valuable insight into the work of professional music therapists in their clinical practice. The contributors discuss work with a diverse range of clients, including those suffering from Alzheimer's, anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia, psychosis, personality disorder, anxiety and psychosomatic disorder.

Psychological Therapies for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities brings together contributions from leading proponents of psychological therapies for people with intellectual disabilities, which offer key information on the nature and prevalence of psychological and mental health problems, the delivery of treatment approaches, and the effectiveness of treatment. Offers a detailed guide to available therapies for adults with intellectual disabilities Includes case illustrations to demonstrate therapies in action Provides up-to-date coverage of current research in the field Puts forward a consideration of the wider contexts for psychological therapy including the relationship with social deprivation, general health, and the cost effectiveness of treatment Places individual interventions in the context of the person’s immediate social network including families and carers Includes contributions from leading proponents from around the world

"What is Disability?" and "Why am I disabled?" asked Joe, the seven year old boy, born with cerebral palsy... Although disability is of concern to us all, very little attention has been paid to the felt experience of the disabled person and the ways in which psychotherapy might be constructively utilised. Disability, Counselling and Psychotherapy directly addresses this gap and, taking a life-span perspective and a psychoanalytic approach, actively explores the challenges and opportunities of disability to therapy, the caring professions and society more widely. Shula Wilson introduces a model aimed at achieving autonomy that is based on the significance of the primary mother-baby relationship and the awareness of human mortality. In doing so she offers a new way of relating to disabled people and working through unanswerable questions such as those raised by Joe, above. She also challenges attitudes and reactions to controversial issues such as sex, death and the mystery behind altering body image, and brings to the surface the desires, hopes and frustrations of disabled people living in an environment ridden with fears and prejudices. With its lively case discussion and clear theoretical base, Disability, Counselling and Psychotherapy is a vital resource for all practising professionals and trainees.