Dishita K's Senior Project Blog
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Project Title: Effect of Parent Involvement in Therapy for Children with Behavioral Issues BASIS Advisor: Brittany Holtzman Internship Location: Banner Thunderbird Medical Center Onsite Mentor: Wendy L Pauker |
Project Abstract
Why is therapy involving parents recommended more frequently for minors with behavioral health issues? How does family therapy compare to other forms of therapy available to minors? How does family therapy actually affect the child's behavioral health improvement? The aim of therapy for children with behavioral issues is to help them change their behavior not only when they are in the in-patient department but also after they complete their therapy at the hospital and move on to the next stage of treatment. Because of this, it is suggested that the parents participate in therapy, as well, in order to help the family adapt to a transitioned lifestyle following discharge. The goal of this research is to examine the effect of family therapy on children with behavioral health issues. To achieve this, I will survey the staff at Banner Thunderbird Pediatric In-patient Behavioral Health Department about their opinion and experience in relation to family therapy when working with children with behavioral issues. The information collected could contribute to personalizing therapy so every child has improved outcomes as the survey results would provide insight into the perspective of those who have experience with different behavioral cases. This would additionally provide a more diverse view of the topic.
Thank you!
Hello Everyone! This week, I am analyzing data from my surveys. Though most questions on my survey were free responses, most of the responses were similar. I am also editing my final presentation and final product. My final product is a brochure containing information regarding family therapy and its benefits. This was also my last... Read More
Adolescents and Family Therapy
Hello Everyone! This week, I will be talking about family therapy and adolescents. A study done regarding adolescents and family therapy stated that “One of the strongest predictors of prosocial adolescent development is healthy family functioning” (Henderson, Henderson, Bruhn, Dauber, and Hogue). It focused specifically on family therapy used in general care settings rather than... Read More
Unexpected Connections
Hello Everyone! This week when I went in for my internship I helped the children make bracelets again. A lot of the children made bracelets for their family members or friends, a few made them with their names. One of them children made a bracelet that ended up being too small so they repurposed it... Read More
Tenzi Fun
Hello Everyone! This week when I went in for my internship we played different versions of Tenzi again. There was the standard version where we roll ten dice until we get the same number on all the dice. Then there was a variation where we roll two dice at a time until we get a... Read More
Learning Through Folds
Hello Everyone! This week I am continuing to follow up with the independent behavioral health centers that I have requested to distribute my survey to. I have also sent a follow up email to Banner Scottsdale to request their staff as well. I have not received any new responses to my survey from the staff... Read More
Gifts from the Heart
Hello Everyone! This week I am still waiting for responses back from several independent behavioral health centers which I have contacted. I will continue looking for centers which I could reach out to and request to distribute my survey to. I have emailed Banner Scottsdale as well and am also still waiting for a... Read More
Suncatchers & Surveys
Hello Everyone! This week I received the first response to my survey. I’m hoping there will be at least one more by the end of the week. The Director of Behavioral Health at Banner Thunderbird let me know that there is only one other Banner Behavioral Health and gave me the contact. I have reached... Read More
Surveys and Uno with a Twist
Hello Everyone! This week I sent my survey over to my on-site mentor and I am hoping that I get some responses by next week. I also talked with my on-site mentor regarding reaching out to other branches of Banner as well to request the staff there to complete the survey. Unfortunately, she let me... Read More
Setting the Stage: Exploring the Role of Family Therapy
Hello Everyone! Since I was unable to attend my internship in person last week, I will be discussing the background information that is relevant to the subject of my project. Essentially, conduct, impulsive, and disruptive disorders are within the category of behavioral health difficulties. According to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “Disruptive behavior disorders are characterized... Read More
New Faces, Familiar Smiles: A Week of Learning and Growth
Hello Everyone! This week, I continued my internship at Banner Thunderbird, and I had the opportunity to participate in two group sessions. These group sessions include fun activities for children to participate in. For instance, all of the kids seemed to really enjoy the dice game called Tenzi last week. I've noticed that these activities... Read More
Taking the plunge: My first week as a pediatric behavioral health intern
Hello Everyone! This week I started my internship at the pediatric in patient behavioral health department of Banner Thunderbird. Before going in, I had so many questions, I was not very sure exactly what I would be doing in there. Previously when I had a meeting with the Director of Behavioral Health Department, I was... Read More
Introduction
Hello Everyone! My name is Dishita Kolla and my project will be based on exploring the effects of parent involvement in therapy for children with behavioral health issues. Therefore my research questions are: Why is therapy involving parents more recommended for minors with behavioral health issues? How does family therapy compare to other forms of... Read More