Discussion Questions
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris writes in this chapter about finding a therapist to work with her medical patients. Initially, there was resistance from the community but after time they began to see the value in therapy. Have you seen a resistance to therapy in the children/individuals you serve? Has this changed over time?
Dr. Felitti worked with obese patients and found a surprising number of cases of childhood sexual abuse. Can you relate these patients’ return to their coping mechanism (in their case, overeating) to anything you’ve seen with the people you serve?
Dr. Felitti presented his research to groups of doctors, attempting to convince them about the connection between childhood abuse and obesity. His audiences were hesitant to believe him, to say the least. As you explain the link between behavior problems and childhood trauma, do you experience something similar?
What did you learn from this chapter?