Cultivating Compassion: A Psychodynamic Understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

by Francine Conway

Overview

Cultivating Compassion offers an effective and highly sensitive psychodynamic approach for working with ADHD children and their parents. Conway seamlessly interweaves theory and practice to present a step-by-step guide to psychodynamic treatment that focuses on facilitating compassionate relationships with ADHD children. Also exploring neuropsychological and behavioral approaches, this text offers a balanced and inclusive analysis that will appeal to therapists with or without psychodynamic orientations and encourage them to go beyond observable behaviors to address underlying emotional hurts and conflicts. Therapists will be able to explore, understand, and facilitate the development and resolution of inner psychic matters that are pertinent to the ADHD child’s mental health. Comprehensive and insightful, Cultivating Compassion is an ideal guide for practitioners, social workers, mental health counselors, and those in training.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442273009
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/22/2017
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Francine Conway, PhD, is Dean and Distinguished Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice. She has been treating children diagnosed with ADHD for over fifteen years and has published numerous articles and book chapters on the emotional lives of children. She also serves as the research editor of the Journal of Infant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and is a consulting editor for Psychotherapy.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction: A Historical Context of ADHD: From Moral Indictment to Compassion xv

Chapter Highlights xxix

1 A Psychodynamic Understanding of ADHD Symptoms: Engendering Compassion 1

Neurological Perspectives on ADHD 3

Neurological Determinants 4

Neurological and Neurocognitive Models of ADHD Etiology 10

Psychodynamic Views on Neurological Determinants 12

The Psychodynamic Perspective on ADHD 13

Psychodynamic Determinants 15

Environmental Determinants 15

Intrapsychic Determinants 20

Summary 30

Chapter Highlights 31

Neurological Perspective on ADHD 31

The Psychodynamic Perspective on ADHD 32

2 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Compassionate Treatment Approach 35

The Ego Developmental Model 37

Ego Psychology 37

Relational Models of Self-Development 43

The Interpersonal Approach 43

The Work of Melanie Klein 47

The Work of Donald Winnicott 51

The Work of Wilfred Bion 53

Summary 55

Chapter Highlights 56

The Ego Developmental Model 57

Relational Models of Self Development 58

3 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Interventions 59

The Psychoanalytic Framework 59

The Psychodynamic Therapist's Disposition 60

Ego Psychology Interventions 62

Ego Defense 63

Integration of Immature Wishes into Ego Functions 65

The Therapist as an Auxiliary Ego 68

Relational Interventions 69

Understanding and Developing a Relationship with the Child 69

Holding and Containing Difficult Affective Experiences 70

Countertransference 71

The Narrative Approach 72

Joint Attention 72

Play Therapy: Psychodynamic Supportive Expressive Play Psychotherapy 74

Other Psychodynamic Techniques 74

An Integrative Model for Addressing Ego-Id and Ego-Superego Difficulties 75

Technique: Developing the Child's Capacity to Mentalize/Self-Reflect 78

Case Vignettes: A Note on Methodology 80

A Psychodynamic Theoretical Perspective on Change 83

Summary 91

Chapter Highlights 91

4 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy of ADHD: Treatment Guidelines 95

An Integrated Psychodynamic Model of Treatment 96

Initial Phase Of Treatment 99

Developing a Therapeutic Relationship 99

Emergence 101

Inter subjective Space (The Coming Together) 102

The Use of Empathy to Develop a Therapeutic Alliance 103

When to Talk about the Child's Presenting Problems 104

Engaging with Parents and Teachers 104

Treatment Formulation 105

Understanding the Child's Difficulties 105

Identifying Dynamic Issues 105

Treatment Phase 106

Interventions for Ego-Id Problems 106

Interventions for Ego-Superego Problems 109

Chapter Highlights 115

5 Behavioral and Other Approaches: Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Parent and School Interventions 117

Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Perspectives on ADHD 118

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 118

Behavioral Approaches 121

What Do Psychodynamic Psychoanalysts Think about Behavioral Approaches? 125

A Psychodynamic Approach to Parenting and School Interventions 126

Parenting and Family Dynamics 126

Parent intervention 128

School Intervention 134

Summary 135

Chapter Highlights 136

Cognitive Behavioral Approach (CBT) 136

Behavioral Approaches 137

Psychodynamic Approach to Parenting and School Interventions 137

Epilogue 139

The Moral Indictment of ADHD Children 140

Economic Factors 140

Cultural Factors 141

Cultivating Compassion for the ADHD Child 145

A Social Construction View 145

A Vision for All Children 148

Conclusion 149

Bibliography 151

Index 169

About the Author 177