Featured Articles
The heart of relationship based care
Jon Korfmacher, Associate Professor, Erikson Institute, Chicago, IL
Please click here to download a PDF Reprint of this article published in IMPrint Volume 48, Spring 2007.
(article excerpt...) The provider and the parent bring their interpretive acts together as they work with each other, in the relationship they form with each other, influenced (in part) by the relationships they have already made. It is here, at this intersubjective point of convergence, that a new meaning emerges. Fundamentally, the meaning of the experience depends on the quality of the relationship that forms between the family member and the provider, and how this relationship intersects with other relationships in the family's life.
A parent's perspective on open adoption
Angela Krueger
Please click here to download a PDF Reprint of this article on the joys and challenges of open adoption, from an adoptive parent's perspective, published in IMPrint Volume 47, Winter 2006.
Impact of violence abuse & neglect on children
Diane Benoit, MD, FRCPC
Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Associate Scientist, Research Institute
Staff Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry,
The Hospital for Sick Children
Please click here to download a PDF Reprint of the article published in IMPrint Volume 46, Fall 2006, based on this workshop held on October 6, 2006.
Research findings show that starting early during the first year of life, children can be negatively affected, and even traumatized, by what they experience or witness. The purpose of this one-day workshop is to review significant theory and research findings pertaining to the impact on children of witnessing or being the victim of violence, abuse, and neglect, and to apply the theoretical knowledge and research evidence to everyday practice. A special emphasis is placed on the impact at the emotional, behavioral, and developmental levels, as well as the impact on brain development and functioning. Care giving styles associated with difficulty or inability to protect children from violence, abuse, and neglect are discussed. Videotaped vignettes of actual interactions between caregivers and children are used extensively throughout the workshop, together with audio-recorded vignettes, to illustrate the various concepts discussed. The vignettes will illustrate the child-victim’s experience: during 911 calls made by young children, the arrival of police officers on the scene, and daily interactions with violent, abusive, or neglectful caregivers. Police officers are often the first responders and the first professionals with whom the child-victim has live contact. Their critical role is discussed, both in terms of the direct interaction with the child-victim and the usefulness of observations made by the officers. Innovative, child-focused programs involving police officers, child protection workers, mental health professionals and other professionals, are presented, illustrating how each can reduce the negative impact on children of witnessing or being the victim of violence, abuse, and neglect.