State of the Programs

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who was so supportive last year as we worked to maintain the counseling programs at UNR and UNLV. Nevada is in need of mental health professionals, it is so important that we maintain our counseling and therapy programs. I encourage you all to stay abreast of the financial situations at the universities and continue to be active as we move forward.

Thank you again for your support.

ELECTIONS:
Hello everyone! Elections are coming!! If you are interested in holding an office please let us know ASAP. We will be putting together the ballot very soon. For information about the individual offices, please see www.nvapt.org.

Conference information:
Unfortuanately, it looks as though the conference with Jake Greenspan will be postponed due to some scheduling conflicts. We will probably have him come to Reno in the fall instead of May 1st. If you have any questions about the conference or about working with special needs children, please contact me at jillpackman@gmail.com or you can go to www.stanleygreenspan.org
Thank you for all your support!!

The Many Faces of Anger

From December 8th – 14th the Milton H. Erickson Foundation hosted the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in Anaheim, CA. The Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference has been, since 1985, an international forum for masters in the field to meet, interact, and discuss a wide range of topics, including their current work and latest research, as well as the future of psychotherapy.

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop presentation given by Violet Oaklander, Ph.D. on the many faces of anger in children. Dr. Violet Oaklander is a clinical psychologist and Certified Gestalt Therapist. She is the author of Windows To Our Children: A Gestalt Therapy Approach to Working with Children and Adolescents and most recently published, Hidden Treasure: A Map to the Child’s Inner Self.

The workshop started off with discussing the many faces of anger with children. Dr. Oaklander believes that “anger is an expression of the self.” It is a way of protecting one’s boundaries. For instance, when a young child says, “NO!” in a loud voice, he or she is using strong energy to express his or her dislike for something that upsets his or her self. The child must use a strong voice because he or she desperately wants to be heard. The child’s “NO!” comes from the core of her being. Since the child does not have the cognitive ability, the language, or the tact to express thoughtful, fundamental feelings in pleasant ways he or she is perceived as angry.

The child quickly learns that this expression of angry and unacceptable and may lead to consequences of abandonment. Since the child’s survival is dependent on the adult caretakers in his or her life, the child uses any means to make sure his or her needs are met. Due to lack of expression the child’s self becomes diminished. The child then buries within deep-felt feelings.

A paradox begins to form since the child’s primary developmental task is to grow up into an adult. While the child tries to flourish and grow in a world where he or she struggles to avoid his or her parent’s disapproval and anger, his or her self struggles to achieve stability and health. And so the child’s expression of anger, which is an expression of the self, bubbles up to become something beyond the child’s awareness and control. This bubbling up of repressed emotion can come out in many forms. Some of these forms can be manifested in illness, such as headaches and stomachaches. Other forms come out physically by hitting and other forms of striking out. Other children become hyperactive while others “space out” to avoid feeling anything. These are a few of the behaviors and symptoms that disguise fearful authentic expressions that children use to attempt to cope and survive in their stressful world. These inappropriate behaviors and symptoms are the many faces of anger for children.

Hello everyone and welcome. Instead of sending out paper newsletter, we are going to use an interactive blog. I guess NVAPT is joining the wave of the future! On this blog/newsletter site, you will find a lot of information about play therapy and NVAPT. In addition, you can add comments which will be responded to by the NVAPT Board. It is our intention to make the newsletter informative and playful. So, please participate!!

On another note, I should introduce myself. I'm Jill Packman. I am an associate professor at UNR and am opening a small private practice in North Carson City. I have a 21 month old who teaches me something new (about life and play) every day. He is a joy! I learned about play therapy at the University of North Texas and had the opportunity to study under Garry Landreth and Sue Bratton. My passions in play therapy include all kids, infant mental health, and children with special needs.

I want to say thank you to the board for all their work so far. We have a lot of really exciting irons in the fire and I couldn't do it with out them. A special thanks and "yea" for Lisa Robinson. She is the wizard behind the blog and the new website complete with Amazon Marketplace. So, if you need any play therapy books, be sure and buy them from our marketplace. Amazon kicks some $$ back to NVAPT! Thanks again everyone!!

Please join NVAPT. and visit our website www.nvapt.org
Best,
Jill