by Elaine Korsch, MSW, CDCC and Sheryl Hoye, LICSW

     ENDANGERED FEELINGS

Puppets often are used in treatment programs for children, as their non-threatening nature can help adults and children alike get in touch with their senses and feelings and express emotions in appropriate ways.  To support this premise, a set of puppets called Endangered Feelings characters were created in 1989 by Barbara Kobe of Crystal, Minnesota.  Each of these unique puppets has its own facial expressions, purposes and message.

The collective message of these cuddly characters is that a person's feelings are their own, that it is important to express emotions in ways that are safe and comfortable and that sending your feelings into hiding risks their extinction.

The Endangered Feelings puppets are Angerilla, Trifearatops, Crynoceros, and Happypotomus.  Another puppet included in the set is Numbfull, a blah, plain creature with a front pouch that holds four bean bag characters called Ragefull, Tearfull, Fearfull and Joyfull.  Numbfull's message is that when feelings are unexpressed, they have a stifling, immobilizing effects.

The Willow Street Center for Youth and Families, a division of Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Behavioral Care Network in Minneapolis, has searched for innovative ways to proactive brief treatment with children and their families.  The Center agreed to evaluate the clinical impact of their use.  A plan was developed in which the children would be exposed to the puppets first in group therapy and then in family therapy.

The group activities were developed by a chemical dependency counselor at the Center.  The different activities include psychodrama, telling stories about the animals and playing games.  This set the stage for children to develop rapport with the puppets, reacquaint themselves with their feelings and gain an awareness of their own family issues in preparation for family therapy.

A family therapist at the Center developed techniques for using the puppets in family therapy.  The puppets would be used as a medium for the child to give the therapist information about the family and to help parents connect with their children.

These case studies use drama, metaphor and play in interactions with the puppets and families.  Through the use of these puppets in a family therapy setting children and parents found self-expression and were able to discuss feelings that were difficult for them to express verbally.  The puppets became a way for them to tell their stories.

THE "M" FAMILY
   The "M" family consisted of a single mother and her four children.  The second child, nine-year-old Josh, was hospitalized for repeated suicide attempts, impulsiveness, aggressive behavior and depression.  Mom was very patient with all the children but had difficulty setting limits and flowing through with consequences.  Mom had a history of under-reacting to the children's escalating, out-of-control behaviors.  The therapist believed that the mother needed to respond to the children in a more firm an directive manner.
     During family therapy sessions, the children would perform a play with the puppets with mom always acting as the director of the play.  When mom first was given the job of director, she reacted by asking, "What does the director do?"  The therapist would respond, "The director tells the actors what to do."  Mom selected themes for the children's plays, and they would perform. At first the children fought with each other and kept looking at the therapist, whining, "I want to be the director."  A time-out chair was set up in the room for actors to use, should the director ask them to take a time-out.
     Gradually the children settled into their roles, stopped trying to be in charge and began to think of family therapy as a fun game.  At the end of each scene, the actors were rewarded with enthusiastic applause form the director and the therapist.

COREY
     A 13-year-old, hearing impaired boy named Corey was admitted to the unit after a serious suicide attempt.  One year prior, he had been diagnosed with cardiovascular and neurological impairments which were expected to progressively worsen.  His activity level had been restricted drastically in the past year, and he had experienced deterioration in some of his motor skills.
     During a session with Corey, his mother and younger brother and the therapist were exploring with the family how each member felt about Corey's health and his prospects for the future.  Corey refused to talk but grabbed out the Joyfull puppet and threw it angrily across the room.  He sat there with Numbfull, filled with Ragefull, Tearfull and Fearfull.  Corey dramatically expressed his feelings through using Numbfull without speaking a word.

CRAIG
     Six-year-old Craig was admitted to the unit for fire setting.  He also had significant learning problems and low verbal skills.  His mother was a single parent with an extensive history of abusing chemicals, especially marijuana and alcohol.  Craig was very aware of his mother's drug use but had some misperceptions.  For example, he perceived that his mother would die if she stopped drinking beer, that it was a "habit that she couldn't stop."  Clinically, it was clear that Craig worried about his mom's use of chemicals and that his mom was not aware of the extent of his concerns.  She eventually decided to enter an outpatient chemical dependency program.  When she informed Craig of this decision, Numbfull was sitting by him on the sofa.  He picked up all of the little "Fulls", stuffed them inside Numbfull and stuffed them inside of his t-shirt.  Eventually, he was able to acknowledge that he had many feelings about his mom's not drinking alcohol anymore.

TODD
     Todd was a 10-year-old boy who was admitted to the unit for aggressive and out-of-control behavior at home, where there was significant family history of violence.  His father, who was physically abusive to Todd, his older sisters and his mother, currently was in jail for drunk driving violations.  Todd worked vary had to talk about his feelings, especially his fears of being abused again.  He worried that he and his family never would be safe from his dad.  His mother listened supportively to his fears, then shared her plan of how to keep everyone safe.
     At the end of each session, Todd's reward for sharing his feelings was to present a five-minute play using the puppets.  He metic8ulously would set up the chairs in the room to make a stage.  The plays always depicted the same plot:  Happypotomus and Crynoceros being terrorized by Trifearatops.  Angerilla would proved the grand finale saving the day.
     Obviously, the play depicted Todd's anxiety that dad would come back and harm his family and the boy's wish that someone more powerful than his dad would save them.  Todd was able to acknowledge that he thought it was his job as the "man of the house" to protect his sisters and mom.  Todd was "fired" from that job, and slowly he began to have more confidence in his mother's ability to keep the family safe.  During Todd's stay, his mom worked aggressively through the court system to press charges against the father and initiate orders for protection.

EVERYONE BENEFITS
     Through these examples, it was evident how people act in response to the puppets and, with them, are able to talk about critical issues.  Children often do not have the verbal skills or the medium to express their concerns.  With the help of these big, cuddly, soft puppets children may stop being afraid of family therapy and look forward to it as an opportunity to play and get parental affirmation.
     In therapy sessions, it is difficult to distinguish who is having the most fun or who has gained the most from the experience--parents, children or therapist.  Perhaps that is because everyone benefits.

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