Anne Bannister

Free Association Books

£15.95

ISBN 1 85345 383 7

In spite of recent research, child protection is still bedevilled by demands to produce weighty risk assessments or complete numerous forms. It was therefore a joy to review a book firmly rooted in direct work with the abused child. The Healing Drama is a personal account of the author's work in psychodrama and dramatherapy.

Bannister has an interesting style. One suddenly realises that the author has comfortably introduced you to the basic concepts of psychodrama or the theories used to understand abuse. However, I would have appreciated the author's thinking as to why some material rated a chapter and other material did not.

'Writing, stories and fairy stories' was a particularly helpful chapter which used illustrations from folk tales and Last of the Summer Wine.

Bannister constantly refers to other texts but her follow-up seemed rather weak. This was particularly true when she quoted Pierce and Pierce as suggesting that 'family therapy is inappropriate with black families'. I had the same feeling about the last chapter, entitled 'Does it work?' Either it should have been left out, letting the book speak for itself, or closely reasoned research should have been produce .

This is a book that should be read by anyone working with abused children. Case illustrations can give workers new ideas, whatever their favourite method. The excuse so often given to avoid direct work is that staff haven't time. The author states, however, that 'between 10 and 20 sessions are usually enough for most abused children' and this work should be an integral part of any comprehensive assessment. Bannister reminds us that a 'child who has a bond with a dysfunctioning parent is not necessarily a reason for the child to remain with such a parent'.

Jean Moore is a freelance trainer, child protection consultant and author of The ABC of Child Abuse and The ABC of Child Protection.