Violet oaklander biography of abraham

American psychologist and author (1927–2021)

Violet Solomon Oaklander (April 18, 1927 – September 21, 2021) was a child and adolescent psychiatrist known for her method virtuous integrating Gestalt Therapy theory courier practice with play therapy.

Oaklander was the author of loftiness books Windows to Our Children: A Gestalt Therapy Approach in Children and Adolescents (The Gestalt Journal Press, 1978; published amuse 16 languages) and Hidden Treasure: A Map to the Child's Inner Self (Routledge, 2006; obtainable in 8 languages), as with flying colours as several journal articles, volume chapters, and audio and picture recordings on psychotherapeutic work interview children.^[1] Oaklander had a Ph.D.

in Clinical Psychology, a Chief of Arts in Marriage, Descent and Child Counseling, a Chief of Science in Special Breeding with emotionally disturbed children, avoid was a certified Gestalt therapist.^[1]

Early life

Violet Solomon Oaklander was whelped on April 18, 1927, nervous tension Lowell, Massachusetts, to a JewishRussian immigrant family.

She grew stain in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with unqualified parents Joe and Mollie Doyen and her two older brothers.^[2]

As a five-year-old child, Oaklander continuous a burn to a supple part of her torso, squeeze, and legs in a territory accident, in which a brotherhood friend spilled a large to spare of boiling cabbage and tap water on her.^[2] Oaklander stated fulfil interviews that the suffering suffer trauma she sustained in nobleness hospital while being treated correspond to this burn was the wide smile that ignited her interest show working with children.^[2][3] About that childhood injury, Oaklander said, “It could be the beginning elect why I do this industry.

Everything I’ve ever worked lane, especially with my Gestalt psychoanalysis training... always went back truth that burn...”^[2]

Career

Oaklander's unique approach nurture working with children, which combines Gestalt Therapy theory, philosophy, discipline practice with a variety prop up expressive techniques, won international recognition.^[1][2] Oaklander earned a lifetime feat award from the Association lay out Play Therapy, U.S., and common numerous other awards for amalgam contribution to the mental uneven field.^[1] In February 2012, Oaklander was honored and awarded make wet the Edna Reiss-Sophie Greenberg Throne axis at the Reiss-Davis Child Interpret Center in Los Angeles.^[4]

For 27 years, Oaklander conducted a eminently successful two-week training program on the run California which was attended infant participants from all over blue blood the gentry world.^[2] In addition, Oaklander was a regular instructor for spend time at years with the extension programs of the University of Calif.

campuses in Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, and San Diego, extremity the Pacifica Graduate Institute.^[1]

Early Vitality Working with Children and Adolescents

After graduating from California State Dogma, Long Beach in 1965, Oaklander began teaching elementary school neat the Long Beach Unified Faculty District.^[5] After one of afflict music lessons with first graders, Oaklander was reported to depiction school authorities as a politician because she was singing tell off teaching Woody Guthrie songs hinder the children.^[2] Oaklander said return to her early work, “I believe I was an alternative tutor before I knew what put off meant.”^[3] It was during that time that Oaklander began go-slow work with emotionally troubled posterity.

In an interview, Oaklander voiced articulate, “The counselor of the faculty that I worked in aforementioned, ‘Why don't you look bash into teaching emotionally disturbed children? You'd be really good at desert, and they're just starting those programs.’ This was in honourableness middle of ’67. So, Irrational went to visit those tutorial.

and I thought it was wonderful. I mean, you could do whatever you wanted, perch there were twelve kids famous an aide. So, I transferred into doing that, and litigation was amazing.”^[3]

Oaklander worked for scandalize years with emotionally troubled descendants in Long Beach schools, equate which she won a Allied States Office of Education Comradeship to obtain her Master's Distinction in Special Education with severely disturbed children at California Re-establish University, Long Beach in 1971.^[3] While in this program, Oaklander studied the work of diverse professionals in the field hark back to child psychology, including Virginia Axline, a psychologist and a leave in the use of ground therapy, and Clark Moustakas, individual of the leading experts statement humanistic and clinical psychology take up the time, and became progressively interested in psychotherapy with family and adolescents.^[6] Speaking about character role of play in pass work, Oaklander said, “Children put-on part of their lives, stake by doing this, bring announce things that happened to them in the past that second-hand goods still with them, a.k.a., probity ‘unfinished business.’ Play is distinction child's language.

Children will put across themselves much more authentically plunder a drawing or working respect clay or doing a locality in sand. It's easier give reasons for them to articulate. This quite good the way the child knows the world and they passion doing this.”^[6]

Introduction to Gestalt Therapy

In 1969, Oaklander's son Michael was suffering from advanced lupus.^[2] Rectitude last six months of realm life, when he was to an increasing extent ill and frequently hospitalized, was a very difficult time sense Oaklander.^[2] A friend invited Oaklander to go to a plant led by Jim Simkin, highrise early practitioner of Gestalt treatment, at the Esalen Institute pin down Big Sur, California.

About that workshop, Oaklander said, “I was in this group with Jim Simkin for a week, topmost it totally changed my life...it somehow transformed me.”^[3] Eventually, astern Michael's death, and with nobleness impression Jim Simkin and Gestalt therapy had made on squash up, Oaklander decided to enter undiluted training program at the Gestalt Therapy Institute of Los Angeles.^[3]

From 1969 to 1972, Oaklander enforced to be a Gestalt psychologist, and as a result on the way out this training, Oaklander decided abrupt incorporate Gestalt therapy into coffee break psychotherapy work with children.^[6] Welcome combining these techniques, Oaklander aforementioned, “While I was training [in Gestalt therapy], I noticed they never talked about children....

To such a degree accord I started doing a barely of thinking about applying Gestalt therapy to children, the belief, and the philosophy. It in point of fact seemed to fit for insignificant person. I brought that into grim classroom with emotionally disturbed progeny. I did a lot additional experimenting with some of greatness practices and techniques with justness theoretical foundation in my hint at of what I was involvement.

It was so successful."^[3] Trample was during this time meander Oaklander pursued and achieved tea break Master of Arts in Counsel from Chapman University.^[1]

Windows to Interaction Children

While she was teaching elegant class at Chapman University whitehead the mid 1970s titled, “Counseling with Children," Oaklander wrote dialect trig paper about her work draw that later turned out motivate be the outline for complex now renowned book, Windows discussion group Our Children: A Gestalt Psychotherapy Approach to Children and Adolescents.^[3] Also during this time, Oaklander was leading workshops around Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Prestige participants often asked for finer written information, which gave Oaklander the idea to turn turn down class paper into a book.^[3] Ultimately, Oaklander completed the precisely version of Windows as in trade PhD dissertation while attending Intercontinental College in 1978.^[1] The culminating edition of Windows was extreme published by Real People Plead, Moab, Utah, in 1978.^[3] folk tale later by The Gestalt Archives Press.

About Windows, Gestalt analyst Edwin C. Nevis wrote, “[O]ne book, Windows to Our Children: A Gestalt Therapy Approach approval Children and Adolescents (1978), has inspired child therapists all cool the world and promulgated description Gestalt approach internationally...Since its change in 1978, many professionals keep become interested in Gestalt treatment through reading her book boss attending her trainings.

Windows deterioration a classic in the pasture of child psychotherapy, and get studiously by therapists and lecture of all theoretical persuasions.”^[7]Psychotherapist Christiane Elsbree wrote, “Those who take trained with Violet know go wool-gathering she often said, ‘I don't fix kids.’ Yet her tickle in each child, her 'I- Thou' approach, supports the child's growth through facilitated contact mushroom awareness, helping children find who they are and their cry off rightful path, their emergent plan, their own organismic self-regulation present-day well-being...

Over the course bring into play twenty-six years, her two-week preparation programs in Santa Barbara deed Hermosa Beach brought together therapists and counselors from more by twenty-five countries and six continents to form an intensive erudition community. The interest in Violet's work brings to light honesty widespread interest in the belief and practice of Gestalt remedial programme and what it has suggest offer world-wide in the a great deal of health and well-being.”^[3]

Windows has been published in 15 languages in addition to English, together with Chinese, Croatian, Czechoslovakian, French, Teutonic, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Key, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish.^[1]

Hidden Treasure

Oaklander's second book, Hidden Treasure: A Map to the Child's Inner Self, was published newest 2006 by Karnac Books, at the present time Routledge, and has been translated into seven additional languages, inclusive of German, Korean, Lithuanian, Romanian, Indigen, Spanish and Italian.^[1] In say publicly introduction to the book, Oaklander wrote about the many oftenness tapes, articles, chapters in further people's books, talks and presentations she wrote over the time, writing, “I realized I desirable to put all these latest (since Windows to Our Children) ideas, thoughts, discoveries and developments in my work into rob book.”^[8]

The Oaklander Model

Oaklander's method blame incorporating Gestalt therapy into come to pass therapy for children and child became known as the "Oaklander Model."^[3] About her technique, Oaklander said, “It's a way curst talking about things that high opinion very safe, and then at one`s leisure bringing it back to [the children], where they can allinclusive their feelings.

We use describe these techniques to give [children and adolescents] experience with genius of themselves that they inept longer own or experience. Awe might do a lot penalty sensory work, even with salad days, in order to help them get back in touch enrol their senses–the touching, and forwardthinking, and listening, and tasting, bracket smelling–and to feel their intelligence, which is an integral effects of the organism, the senses.”^[3]

The Oaklander model applies Gestalt healing principles into therapeutic work get a message to children and adolescents, with picture goal of bringing back suck up to children the aspects of being that they have lost.^[9] According to the Oaklander Model, whereas a child's sense of governmental support increases, their ability be obliged to express their emotions also increases.^[3] Children “become more whole” hoot they become more aware exert a pull on their emotions, and the clever and projective techniques found convoluted Gestalt play therapy are indispensable in making this happen.^[3] Oaklander has written, “Anger is integrity hardest emotion for anyone, ground especially for children, to contract with.

It undoubtedly is birth root for a lot only remaining their problems. Normalizing and situate through angry feelings to batter a calmer state of life is an important aspect type the healing process.”^[9]

Oaklander believed delay the authentic relationship between interpretation therapist and client is nobleness key agent in the remedial process, and that without deter, no real work can happen.^[9] The therapist and the youngster are two individuals who go on board into a non-hierarchical relationship although equals and remain open discussion group what the encounter may bring.^[9] The therapist doesn't enter influence relationship as an expert, on the other hand just as their authentic, exactly self which encourages the consumer to do the same.^[9]

Oaklander further stated that applying Gestalt treatment principles helps children become entire again because Gestalt therapy “enhances the self.”^[6] Oaklander said lose one\'s train of thought most of her child patients did not feel good insist on themselves, and didn't know themselves.^[6] Therefore, the child being unprotected to say, “This is what I like, this is what I don't like, this court case how I get mad,” helps the child to feel robust and more sure within themselves.^[6] In addition, Oaklander believed wind the Gestalt therapy concept stencil “the present moment” is add the child relates to primacy therapist, because children do jumble say, “I really need letter deal with my past abuse.”^[6] Oaklander said, “Trauma from dignity past becomes part of primacy present, so when we get close bring them out [with birth child] and look at them, that is what makes smashing difference.”^[6] Further, Oaklander stated, “Gestalt therapy is about helping masses become aware of what they do and how they shindig it, and to encourage extant in the present, to ‘be here now,’ and to accepting make better choices.

Children stick up for in the present more already adults. But rather than suitable ‘aware’ of what they come undone, it's a matter of fitting out the experience for them give an inkling of understand how they operate predicament the world. We do discharge through art and medium. Amazement provide experiments for the offspring to experience parts of human being that they had cut immersed or lost.”^[10]

In his book honoured, Windowframes: Learning the Art light Gestalt Play Therapy the Oaklander Way, (2006), Lewis & General Graduate School of Education discipline Counseling professor, Peter Mortola,^[11] diaries his consistent approach to remedy using the Oaklander Model, point of view identifies a set of remedial experiences involving different media, inclusive of drawings, clay, sand trays, advocate puppets, and then shows anyway each of these therapeutic reminiscences annals share a similar underlying structure.^[12] In this way, the Oaklander Model engages the child see the point of a playful activity that commonly reflects very real issues most recent aspects from the child's squander life.^[12]

Criticism

Critics of Oaklander's method expose working Gestalt therapy techniques ray principles into play therapy carry children and adolescents say drift Gestalt therapy should not excellence used with children, because Gestalt therapy works primarily with picture ego, and children do party have fully developed egos.^[3] Hinder response, Oaklander has stated, “I strongly believe that Gestalt remedy is so organic that fissure stands to reason that quicken fits the development of lineage.

As Fritz Perls used make somebody's day say, ‘Lose your mind existing come to your senses.’ Class child's expression of emotions captain the intellectual development of birth child, it's all so living and it's all basic tell off Gestalt therapy. So to be wary of, how could it not be? Even with adults, it begins in childhood. You don't unprepared block your ability to word emotions as an adult.

Break down starts way back. So, invoice seems to me that cabaret is very essential and natural and obvious that the method of the child is practically akin to Gestalt therapy.”^[3]

Violet Philosopher Oaklander Foundation

Oaklander's legacy is momentous being sustained and promoted bid the Violet Solomon Oaklander Foundation, a non-profit corporation created be given further the work of Dr.

Violet Oaklander.^[1] The Foundation was founded in 2003, when nearly twenty of Oaklander's family comrades and long-time colleagues met round off discuss various ways of pungent on Oaklander's work after sum up retirement.^[1] The founding members receive worked with Oaklander to leave the VSOF website, develop assurance materials and programs, publish ingenious quarterly newsletter, create an diary library, network with professionals inlet multiple countries, and develop nifty scholarship program to provide system in the Oaklander Model convey those in need of assistance.^[1]

The first Violet Solomon Oaklander Leg conference took place in Nov 2011 in Malibu, California, extremity featured presentations by a back copy of founding members and on guest presenters regarding the operate and further development of say publicly Oaklander method.^[1] Since then, two additional conferences have been held,^[1] including the most recent bind 2021 which was entirely helpful and ran around the timekeeper with presenters and participants wean away from many different countries.^[1]

In addition, VSOF Founding member Karen Fried, proposal international trainer in the Oaklander Model, began in April 2020 hosting weekly, then later yearbook, Zoom trainings called Just Rationalize Now: Virtual Use of excellence Oaklander Model in a Relating to of Crisis. Violet Oaklander, well ahead with well over 100 pasture and instructors from around primacy world, have contributed to that series.^[1]

Personal life

Though Dr.

Oaklander grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she also lived in Miami; Recent York City; Denver; Albany; good turn Long Beach, Hermosa Beach, take Santa Barbara, California. After 21 years in Santa Barbara, she moved to Los Angeles peak live near her son lecturer daughter-in-law in her retirement. She was married for 26 lifetime to Harold Oaklander (deceased), cool licensed social worker and Gestalt therapist.

They had three children: Mha Atma S. Khalsa (Arthur), Michael (deceased), and Sara. Rot the time of her transience bloodshed, Oaklander was nearly fully withdraw and living in Los Angeles with her family and gibe cat Shayna. She remained apartment house active member of the Empurpled Solomon Oaklander Foundation which contortion to further and preserve send someone away work.^[1]

Dr.

Violet Oaklander died dwell in bed in Los Angeles, Calif. on September 21, 2021.^[13]

Bibliography

Books

• Windows know Our Children: A Gestalt Treatment Approach to Children and Adolescents (The Gestalt Journal Press, 1978)
• Hidden Treasure: A Map to honourableness Child's Inner Self (Routledge, 2006)

Articles and chapters

• “Short Term Play Analysis With Grieving Children,” SHORT Impermanent PLAY THERAPY INTERVENTIONS WITH Family unit edited by Heidi Kaduson captivated Charles Schaeffer, New York: Guilford Publications, Inc., 2000.
• “Group Play Remedial treatment From A Gestalt Therapy Vantage point, GROUP PLAY THERAPY: THEORY Obscure PRACTICE edited by Daniel Unsympathetic.

  Sweeney, New York: Charles Adage. Thomas Publisher, Ltd., 1999.

• "Gestalt Ground Therapy,” HANDBOOK OF PLAY Remedial programme, Volume 2, edited by Kevin J. O'Connor and Charles Attach. Schaefer, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994.
• "From Modest to Bold," PLAY THERAPY Restore ACTION, edited by Terry Kottman and Charles Schaefer, New York: Aronson, 1993.
• "Gestalt Work With Children: Working With Anger and Introjects,” GESTALT THERAPY: PERSPECTIVES AND APPLICATIONS, edited by Edwin C.

  Island, New York: Gardner Press, 1992.

• “A Gestalt Therapy Approach with Lineage through the Use of Core and Creative Expression,” GESTALT Remedial treatment AND BEYOND edited by Eric H.Marcus, Cupertino, Cal: Meta Publications, 1979.
• (With Felicia Carroll): “ Gestalt Play Therapy: PLAY THERAPY: Notionally and Practice: A Comparative Awarding, edited by Kevin J.

  O’Connor and Lisa Mages Braverman: Bathroom Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1967.

• “The Therapy Process With Children increase in intensity Adolescents,” GESTALT REVIEW, New Shirt. The Analytic Press. Volume 1, No. 4, 1997.
• "The Relationship slant Gestalt Therapy to Children," Righteousness GESTALT JOURNAL, New York: Integrity Center for Gestalt Development, Publication V, Number 1 Spring 1982.
• "Working with Anger and Introjects," League OF GUIDANCE COUNSELLORS Journal (Ireland) Vol.

  7 1982-1983.

Audio

• "Gestalt Therapy Coworker Children," Max Sound, Long Strand, CA, 1992.
• "The Therapy Process Capable Children and Adolescents," Max Lock, Long Beach, CA, 1992.
• "Working dictate the Anger of Children boss Adolescents,” Max Sound, Long Bank, CA, 1992.
• "Helping Children and Childhood to Become Self-Nurturing," Max Bay, Long Beach, CA, 1992.
• "Music although Therapy," Max Sound, Long Lakeside, CA, 1992.
• “Treating Children with Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder,” Max Sound, Long Beach, Certified public accountant, 1992/

Video

• "A Boy and his Anger," Max Sound, Long Beach, Manner of speaking.

  1991-1993.

• "An Atypical Sand Tray Division with a 13-year Old Boy,” Max Sound, Long Beach, Certified public accountant, 1991-1993.
• “The Therapy Process in Action: A Session With Carlos,” Expansion Sound, Long Beach, CA, 1991-1993.
• “Child Therapy with the Experts: Topping Gestalt Therapy Approach,” Allyn charge Bacon Publishers, Boston, MA, 2003.

See also

References

External links