Trauma em crianças em acolhimento institucional: avaliação e transformação por meio do processo psicoterapêutico da Terapia do Sandplay

• Ano de defesa: 2015
• Autor(a) principal: Matta, Reinalda Melo da
• Orientador(a): Ramos, Denise Gimenez
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Psicologia: Psicologia Clínica
• Departamento: Psicologia
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Terapia do Sandplay; Crianças; Trauma complexo; Psicologia junguiana; Abandono; Negligência.
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Sandplay therapy; Children; Complex trauma; Jungian psychology; Abandonment; Negligence in children
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS::PSICOLOGIA
• Link de acesso: https://tede2.pucsp.br/handle/handle/15426

This study sets out to present research on the effect of Sandplay Therapy (TS) on the treatment of children suffering from trauma caused by abuse, neglect and abandonment. The research was carried out on 60 children living in childcare facilities in four cities in the State of São Paulo, both boys and girls aged from six years and six months to ten years. All the children within this age bracket were tested with the CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18). Those who presented clinical and/or borderline symptoms related to internalizing factors (anxiety, depression, withdrawn and somatic complaints) and/or externalizing factors such as breaking rules and aggressive behavior, as well as total problems, were selected for this survey. The participants were tested in three different moments: T0 (before any intervention), T1 (20 sessions/weeks after T0) and T2 (six months after T1), with the following instruments: WISC-III (2002), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (cubes and vocabulary sub-tests) and the AUQEI test (a questionnaire to evaluate life quality in children and adolescents). The children were organised into three groups: an experimental group (EG, which received the ST), a control group (CG, the waiting list) and a placebo group (PG, which received placebo therapy). New evaluations using the same instruments were carried out as follows: in the EG after 20 weekly sessions with TS (T1) and six months after T1 (T2); in the PG and CG after 20 weekly sessions/weeks (T1). There was no T2 in the PG and CG. Results of the intervention with ST showed that children in the EG presented statistically significant improvement as regards symptoms related to internalizing, externalizing factors and total problems. This change prevailed six months after the therapy was concluded. In the CG improvement in externalizing factors was obtained in the aggressive behavior scale in T1. However, the EG presented a higher average of improvement in relation to CG in this scale.We observed that research participants expressed their aggressiveness and explosive emotions through ST.It was also found that the therapeutic process revealed not only the psychopathological dynamics, but also the children s potentiality and capacities. Building scenarios led to greater adaptability to the difficult circumstances faced by the participants. Miniatures, with their symbolic potential, and playing with sand facilitated connecting and integrating with unconscious aspects that were repressed and defensive as a result of traumatic experiences. Symbolic playing in a free and protected space favored creativity and imagination, as well as the expression of traumatic narratives. Results from T1 and T2 showed significantly reduced clinical symptoms and pathological forms of behavior