I am happy to share the opportunity to have reviewed this book, “Suicide by Security Blanket and Other Stories from the Child Psychiatry Emergency Room” written by the very talented, Laura Marie Prager and Abigail Louise Donovan and published by Lucinda Literary Publishing! It’s now available on Amazon – check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Security-Blanket-Psychiatry-Emergency/dp/0313399492
So, here it is…. my very first book review!
“Suicide by Security Blanket and Other Stories from the Child Psychiatry Emergency Service” is a fantastic read for professionals who work with children within the school system or in private practice!It’s so easy to dismiss a child as being in a state of crisis, but not take the appropriate steps to find out what happened and why. This really made me think about how the School Psychologist or Social Worker needs to intervene when a child is experiencing a crisis in order to assess the need, as teachers, the Principal and other school personnel can easily be taken back by aggressive drawings, key phrases, and frightening behavior, such as self mutilation or other self injurious behaviors. Having worked with children within both the private and public school setting, the ‘protocol’ is to very quickly to send off a child who uses certain words to the ER for a psychiatric evaluation.
What a wonderful opportunity to learn what really happens when these children enter within the ER doors. This book made me realize that the local ER should be reserved for children who truly have the intent to cause harm to self or others, but not for the children and adolescents who need to connect with their parents or whose parents need support. Intervention and follow up is limited within the ER, which is frustrating for the patient and kind professionals who have chosen to provide the care, but find that there are significant limitations to what they can do.
Thank you, Laura and Abby, for taking the time to document your experiences so that we can learn from them and can help improve the system and the process.
“Suicide by Security Blanket and Other Stories from the Child Psychiatry Emergency Service” is an easy read, enjoyable and insightful! –Dr. Liz Matheis, Clinical & School Psychologist, Psychological and Educational Consulting, LLC (www.psychconsult.weebly.com)
Also, check out other reviews for this book:
http://www.laurapragermd.com/book/