Archives for August 2014

Art, dance, music and creative writing are all forms of personal expression, but did you know these artistic hobbies can also be use as stress management techniques? Mental health professionals often combine expressive therapies with traditional psychotherapy to help people communicate their thoughts and feelings. Not only can these creative processes contribute to stress relief, they can ease anxiety and depression.

Talking Pictures
One of the most effective tools in mental health treatment is art therapy. This involves painting or sketching images to represent emotions. If you want to use artwork to cope with stress, a therapist can guide you through interpreting your designs. Every professional uses unique evaluation techniques, and a New York City psychologist may take a different angle than a counselor based in a more rural setting.

Art therapy is frequently used with children and the elderly, but anyone can benefit from it. When creating a piece of art, you become engaged in the task at hand, which temporarily distracts you from whatever is causing your misery. Slipping into an almost meditative zone will clear your mind as well. Once you wander back into the turmoil of life, you’ll be refreshed and ready to battle the distress demons.

Musical Expression and Creative Movement
Dance and music therapy are also common methods for relieving stress. Through the art of dance, you can use the intricacies of movement to portray your innermost thoughts, and you don’t have to don a tutu or find a stage and spotlight to do so. Dancing helps you process and face your emotional state, but it also helps alleviate the physical pain and tension associated with stress.

Music therapy is a more complex practice for improving mental and physical health. Melodious sounds can stimulate and awaken the mind. This is why playing instruments, singing, participating in rhythmic drumming or simply listening to your favorite tune can heal your mental wounds. Music also causes positive changes in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and hormone levels, which ultimately promotes well-being.

Life in Print
Like the other creative arts, journaling is also used as a means of self-exploration. Anxieties, concerns and fears can crush the psyche, but recording your thoughts may help you release suppressed emotions. Writing is a self-protective way to work through daily difficulties. In addition to the other advantages of expressive therapy, keeping a journal can help you discover the core of your stress and define long-term solutions.

Each type of expressive arts therapy is a stepping-stone to healing. Tapping into your creative side can be exciting, and the side effects are empowering. If you have trouble verbalizing your thoughts, contact us or check out our homepage. We can help you use artistic therapies as stress management techniques so that you can regain control of your emotions.

Sexual abuse in young children is a delicate issue and requires careful consideration. Many allegations are disregarded due to lack of physical evidence. This is why it’s necessary to use other methods for validating accusations. Forensic psychology is one highly successful approach. Mental health professionals can extensively evaluate child sexual abuse claims and offer authoritative opinions on their credibility.

Interpreting the Child’s Statements
If your son or daughter has made a sexual abuse accusation, you may need the help of an expert mental health examiner. A forensic psychologist will look for specific patterns that signify sexual violation. This includes particular behaviors or styles in which the child reports the abuse. Detailed or graphic descriptions of the actual molestation may be more reliable than vague or general accounts.

Psychologists also attempt to pull explicit facts from the child’s memory regarding the alleged abuse. If a child can describe where the act took place or what the offender said, the credibility of the accusation increases. Precise details such as what the abuser was wearing and which clothing items were removed add to the plausibility of the claim as well.

Using Nonverbal Methods of Expression
Some psychologists use anatomically correct dolls to confirm a sexual abuse complaint. These physical aids help children express themselves without having to verbalize their encounters with offenders. The downside to this method is that the child’s interaction with the doll can be misleading. Many children who have never been abused will explore and show unusual interest in a doll’s genitals.

Mental health experts often read between the lines when it comes to how a child plays with anatomically precise dolls. By clearly explaining that each doll represents a real person, such as the offender and the child, the examiner can subtly encourage role-playing that may substantiate the allegation. If a specialist proposes the use of these dolls with your son or daughter, be sure to discuss the process thoroughly beforehand.

Dealing With Recantations and False Accusations
At some point, a molested child may take back an allegation. There are numerous motives for a child to recant an accusation, so a professional must pinpoint the reasons in order to determine if the abuse actually occurred. False allegations are even more difficult to resolve because young children can be misled into reporting events incorrectly. This results in the child truly believing the abuse took place.

With child sexual abuse allegations increasing, examinations need to be systematic and comprehensive. Factors to consider include the emotional condition of the child and the parents, the state of the family unit, the child’s behavior patterns and any motivation for false accusations. If you believe your child has been sexually abused, contact one of our specialists. We can help you get the answers and resolution you’re seeking.

When someone mentions forensic psychology, criminal profiling may be the first thing that comes to mind. Understanding a serial killer’s motives is unquestionably valuable, but a forensic psychologist or psychiatrist also plays a huge role in protecting the smallest and most vulnerable of our society. One way they do this is by evaluating the participants in child custody cases to determine what’s in the best interest of the children involved. With a skilled forensic specialist on the case, many children can be spared from serious risks that might not be obvious to the average person. If you’re the parent of a child, and you know your former spouse has a cleverly hidden addiction problem or violent tendencies, you may not be able to prove this in court. However, a forensic psychologist might see the signs clearly. Because of his or her high level of training and expertise, the courts will take the evaluation seriously.

How Do Forensic Psychologists Assist in Child Custody Cases?
If you and your former or estranged spouse can’t agree on legal or residential custody, or there has been an accusation or suspicion of abuse, mental illness or other serious problems that could adversely affect your child, a judge may order a forensic custody evaluation. During the process, the evaluator will interview you, your child and the other parent together and separately. Psychologists are specifically trained to detect behavior patterns associated with unhealthy relationships and potentially dangerous situations. Your child’s response to a simple question or a crayon drawing of his or her bedroom may not reveal much to a layperson, but to a forensic specialist, it might reveal elements of the past, present and future.

Detection Means Protection
The following are common problems that forensic psychologists may detect during a court-ordered child custody evaluation.

• Evidence of substance abuse such as alcoholism or drug addiction
• Physical abuse or neglect revealed by behavior patterns or other non-physical cues
• Psychological abuse, bullying or manipulative behaviors
• Irresponsible parenting or a lack of parenting skills or abilities
• Signs of mental illnesses such as clinical depression, schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder
• Identification of learning disabilities, autism, or other special needs in children

Forensics Keeps It Real
A forensic psychologist is required to present all evidence and test results objectively. Your evaluator will be neither for nor against you, but the findings often speak for themselves. A custody evaluation that tilts the odds in your favor isn’t a guarantee that you’ll win your case, but it can certainly be an influential factor. If not for skilled forensic psychologists, many children could end up in dangerous hands.

Your Prime Resource for Forensic Child Custody Evaluation
At Comprehensive Consultation Services, P.C., our qualified professionals have the experience, motivation and skill to ensure accurate results during your clinical child custody evaluation. We can objectively determine psychological health and functionality in children and adults of all ages, so your child’s best interests are protected. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive custody evaluations and other diagnostic and treatment services. Come check out part two of this series.