Adolescence by Tony Little

Adolescence by Tony Little

Author:Tony Little
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing


Case Study

A 15-year-old girl was referred to my unit as a consequence of concern expressed both by school and parents about her physical state. Although she was not at a dangerously low weight she was exhibiting a reluctance to eat in the family environment. She never ate at school. The school was concerned about her general well-being, too: she was isolated from her peer group, had low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness, and appeared to be in a depressed state.

She followed a programme of family therapy as well as individual and group therapy. During this time attempts were made to improve her self-esteem, build up confidence and teach her to be assertive within her family group. Throughout her period of treatment, it was clear that the family had very clear expectations which related to her social behaviour and her academic achievement. The parents were prepared to participate in family therapy sessions, but no clear shift in attitude could be perceived. They continued to wish to control the child’s life and felt it was unreasonable that, as she matured from age 15 to 16, she should achieve greater independence.

The family view was that the girl’s anorexia was a consequence of being unhappy at school. The girl supported this view. However, extensive liaison work with the school staff revealed they were concerned that the child was being pushed too hard academically at home. The family would not accept this, or that staff were acting reasonably in trying to persuade them to go easy on her. They felt that the school was solely responsible for any academic demands placed on the child. The parents would take no responsibility for having pressurized their child into academic achievement. Subsequently, the girl left the school and was transferred to another secondary school, where she continued to struggle with developing peer-group relationships and remained an individual with very low self-esteem.



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