Solution-Focused Brief Therapy to curb child abuse: Child Offenders
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Previously, we looked at the Adult Offender as a victim and the application of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) in the treatment of those cases. Now we will look at the Child Offender as a victim and how the cycle of abuse can be broken through (SFBT).
As with the adult offender, child offenders
would have been victims of the same or similar form of abuse in early
childhood. They would have been introduced to these behaviors and adopted them
as normal behavior, which is eventually projected unto younger children. Child
abuse perpetrated by child offenders could take the form of bullying, taxing,
class disruptive behavior and inappropriate sexual behaviors. Bullying would include physical,
emotional and psychological abuse where the child offender physically assaults
a vulnerable child by hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting, poking, hair
pulling, spilling the other child’s lunch and other physical threat. Psycho
emotionally, the scope of behavior would include name calling, teasing,
humiliation as well as verbal and non-verbal threats. Taxing falls under financial abuse where the child offender
deprives their victims of money and other tradable items that would be otherwise
spent for snack, lunch or transportation.
Class
disruptive behaviors, are essentially behaviors
that disrupt the teaching/learning process in the classroom. Those behaviors
directly linked to child abuse would include aggression towards other students,
making negative verbal statements in the classroom, disrespect to other
students and throwing objects at other children in class (as cited in Hislop,
2013). Inappropriate sexual behavior
includes sexually harassing other children more vulnerable that themselves,
initiating sexual activities with younger children with mild to severe
coercion, making lewd comments or gestures at other children.
According to the associated press article
on dealing with child-on-child sex abuse, experts say young offenders differ
from adult sex offenders not only in their lower recidivism rates but in the
diversity of their motives and abusive behavior. The article also states that
majority of offenders are responsive to treatment and unlikely to reoffend (as
cited in USA TODAY, July, 2012).
I have treated numerous adolescents who
would have displayed at-risk and deviant behaviors. It was observed that regardless
of the severity of the concern, the therapeutic process of SFBT, victims and
offenders alike became open. These children were apprehensive at first given
the fact that they may have had a past with mistrust for adults or older
children as a victim. They were honest and very open which speaks volumes about
the ‘safe place’ that SFBT provides. SFBT enhances client confidence, motivates
and encourages juvenile clients to desire change.
With SFBT, the client is first led in
outlining a goal stated in behavioral terms that would indicate that their
behaviors have changed. Next, the ‘miracle question’ is used to guide the
client into imagining what their life would be like with the absence of the
abusive behaviors, and what they would be doing differently if the miracle were
to happen. Instances of exceptions are then identified and highlighted. There
would have been times when they were not offenders. These occasions are explored
and strengths are retrieved and reinstated into becoming part of the desired pattern
of behaviors. Child offenders may feel a sense of guilt and shame for their
actions and are held captive to these feelings as they are at war between what accepted
behavior is and what they were exposed to as victims of abuse that drives them
into abusing other children. The method reassures children of their own ability
to demonstrate appropriate behavior and to build a bright offence-free future.
SFBT was applied locally to child offenders
who displayed class disruptive behavior. In a study conducted in 2012 where
SFBT was administered in 6 cases of male lower secondary school students at one
school in Trinidad displaying class disruptive behavior, by the second session
there was notable change in each clients’ confidence level, with a greater
sense of pride with respect to the changes taking place, leaving them
determined to continue in appropriate behaviors. The result of the study
indicated that the students’ work attitude and attendance also saw some
improvement after treatment. Fifty percent of these students displayed more
satisfactory behaviors after treatment in Physical Education Class (Hislop,
2013).
SFBT proves to be quite successful with
child offenders because the extent of the damage caused when child offenders
were victims is not as great as with adult offenders. This is because the time
gap between being a victim and being an offender is far less for child
offenders in comparison to the time gap for adult offenders, and the fact that fewer
offences would have been committed by child offenders. As such, even moderate
to severe cases can be remedied. What sets SFBT apart is the highly positive,
goal-oriented, client-centered atmosphere that put these clients in the mode of
‘I can do this’ from the get go.
Hislop, A. (2013). The
effect of solution-focused brief therapy on class disruptive behavior in lower
secondary school students, University of
the Southern Caribbean: Trinidad
USA TODAY (2012). Dealing with
child-on-child sex abuse not one size fits all. Associated press: New York,
retrieved from
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