Homeless Children: A Case Study

Families with children are one of the fastest-growing homeless populations in the United States (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009). A major cause for family homelessness is the availability to gain employment is mostly in low-wage positions. Another major cause is not having enough affordable housing available for the families to obtain. Homeless families face many concerns regarding not only their physical health, but their mental health and well-being. Children, unfortunately, suffer from both of these. Homeless children often times come from families with mental health, alcohol- and substance-abuse problems and high rates of domestic violence (Groton, Teasley & Canfield, 2013). Homeless children often suffer physical, social …show more content…
Rooms or areas are set up with appropriate toys that match the developmental and communication style of the children so the children can see that the therapist is working on their level. When the play therapist provides an environment that is nonthreatening and sends an empowerment message to the child, they emerge with a structure that is self-enhancing as well as positively influential on relationships (Ray, Armstrong, Balkin, & Jayne, 2015). CCPT is also the most popular play therapy approach that is being used in the United …show more content…
This law was the first federal legislative response to help the homeless. The definition of children who are considered eligible for this act are; children who lack an adequate nighttime residence. One of the requirements for the schools is to keep the child enrolled in their original school of origin, as long as the school can do so. Their original school of origin means the school there were/are enrolled in prior to becoming homeless. This act also states that homeless children/students must be provided transportation to and from school every day. It also states that the local liaisons at the children schools must ensure that the homeless children are receiving full and equal opportunities within the school. So far this seems to be working well as far as making sure that no child is without the materials, in school, that they need. Dealing with children with behaviors can be challenging at times. It can be even more challenging to find appropriate, yet, effective interventions to aid the children. Adlerian Play Therapy is both. The Adlerian Theory believes in the creativity and uniqueness of each individual (Meany-Walen, Kottman, Bullis, & Taylor, 2015). This intervention is done in four sections. The first stage requires the child to work with the counselor to build a safe and trusting relationship. Second, the lifestyle of the child is investigated by the counselor. This is done