After completing this course you’ll be able to:
| 1. | Discuss the types of mental health professionals who work with neglected and abused children, including their varying professional orientations, education, training, and clinical supervision requirements. |
| 2. | Describe the roles of mental health professionals working with neglected and abused children, such as advocate, educator, consultant, and expert witness. |
| 3. | List some of the responsibilities of mental health professionals, including reporting abuse and neglect, referrals, prevention, training, and establishing quality assurance standards. |
| 4. | Explain specific concepts and terms related to the field of child abuse and neglect, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, and neglect. |
| 5. | List recent data concerning the incidence and effects of abuse and neglect. |
| 6. | Distinguish between forensic and clinical evaluations in cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. |
| 7. | Analyze the information to assess suicide risk. |
| 8. | Discuss mental health treatment concepts and issues including intra-familial child sexual abuse treatment, confidentiality, skill building and education, marital therapy, relationship issues, self-help groups, and interacting with the justice system. |
| 1. | Introduction | |
| The Mental Health Professional and Child Abuse | ||
| Mental Health Disciplines and Child Abuse Intervention | ||
| Psychiatry | ||
| Psychology | ||
| Clinical Social Work | ||
| Psychiatric Nursing | ||
| Counseling | ||
| Art Therapy/Expensive Arts Therapy | ||
| Child Abuse Intervention as a Subspecialty | ||
| 2. | Roles of Mental health Professionals Working with Abused and Neglected Children and their Families | |
| Primary and Secondary Prevention | ||
| Tertiary Intervention | ||
| Evaluation and Treatment | ||
| Advocate | ||
| Source of Information and Referrals | ||
| Educator | ||
| Preparing Clients to Testify in Court | ||
| Consultant to County or State Departments of Social Services | ||
| Expert Witness | ||
| 3. | Responsibilities of the Mental Health Professional | |
| Report Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
| Resistance to Child Abuse Reporting Laws | ||
| Inappropriate Interventions | ||
| Whether to Tell the Client that the Mental Health Professional Is Making a Report | ||
| Refer Children for Medical Evaluations | ||
| Prevent Sexual Abuse of Child and Adult Clients by Therapists | ||
| Acquire Knowledge, Skills, and Expertise Through Training | ||
| Establish Quality Assurance Practices and Standards | ||
| Participate on a Multidisciplinary Team | ||
| 4. | How Child Abuse and Neglect are Defined | |
| Operational Definitions | ||
| Physical Abuse | ||
| Sexual Abuse | ||
| Emotional/Psychological Abuse | ||
| Child Neglect | ||
| Incidence | ||
| Effects of Child Abuse | ||
| Contextual and Developmental Factors | ||
| Physical Abuse | ||
| Sexual Abuse | ||
| Neglect | ||
| Mental Health Evaluations | ||
| Forensic Evaluations | ||
| Parents | ||
| Clinical Evaluations of Children, Parents and Families | ||
| Assessing Suicidal Risk | ||
| Behavioral Clues to Suicide | ||
| 5. | Mental Health Treatment Issues and Models | |
| Intrafamilial Child Abuse Treatment | ||
| Isolation | ||
| Poor Communication and Ambiguous Boundaries | ||
| Sexual Distortions | ||
| Intervention Issues | ||
| Assessment of the Child’s Immediate and Long-Term Treatment Needs | ||
| Child’s Safety from Abuse | ||
| Empowerment of the Nonoffending Parent | ||
| Management of Sexualized Behavior | ||
| Skill Building and Education | ||
| Status of the Intrafamilial Perpetrator | ||
| Willingness of the Perpetrator to Assume Genuine Responsibility | ||
| Awareness and Management of Incestuous Thoughts and Behavior | ||
| Marital Therapy | ||
| Reestablishment of the Parent-Child Relationship | ||
| The Comprehensive Sexual Abuse Treatment Program (CSATP) | ||
| Nonfamilial Child Abuse: Providing Support to Parents | ||
| Child Physical Abuse Treatment Components | ||
| Education and Skill Training May Not Be Enough | ||
| Aggression Management | ||
| Self-Help Groups | ||
| Parents Anonymous Model | ||
| Neglecting Families: Intensive In-home Interventions | ||
| 6. | Treatment Modalities | |
| Dealing with the Justice System | ||
| Managing the Therapeutic Environment | ||
| Physical Environment | ||
| Support Personnel | ||
| Structure of the Therapeutic Session | ||
| Confidentiality | ||
| Release of Information | ||
| Personal Issues for Mental Health Professionals | ||
| Countertransference | ||
| Stress and Burnout | ||
| Managing Professional and Private Lives | ||
| Responsibilities of Supervisors, Managers, and Administrators | ||
| 7. | Caregivers of Young Children: Preventing and Responding to Child Maltreatment | |
| Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
| State Laws | ||
| Who Reports | ||
| Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
| When to Report | ||
| Where to Report | ||
| How to Report | ||
| Local Program Reporting Requirements | ||
| Local Policies and Procedures for Reporting | ||
| Difficulties Encountered When Reporting | ||
| Personal Feelings | ||
| Program Policies and Practices | ||
| Nature of the Parent-Program Relationship | ||
| Center-Based Programs | ||
| Family Child Care | ||
| Once the Report is Made | ||
| Summary | ||
| APPENDIX A: Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect | ||
| Who Must Report | ||
| Circumstances | ||
| APPENDIX B: Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect: Summary of State Laws | ||
| Privileged Communications | ||
| APPENDIX C: Child Abuse Reporting Numbers | ||
| Glossary of Terms | ||
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