Overview

My work for my last 13 years as a psychology was in Early Intervention. In EI the children are three- to five-years-old. Many people say to me, How could children so young require the services of a psychologist? My response is, If you knew how many children were being kicked out of preschool, you would be amazed and hopefully appalled but that is a different book. In this one I want to describe my efforts toward an undivided life, integrating my professional and spiritual lives. My faith requires of me: radical honesty, truth-telling, and a principled life. My employer required of me: relative pragmatic legalism. Those often conflict. I will share a bit about a case to illustrate. I did a re-evaluation for Willard, a child in our autism support program. His teacher was concerned because he did not seem to be a child with autism. Since I was the psychologist covering that classroom, I did the re-evaluation. Not imagining that the parent would be unhappy about finding out their child did not have autism, I proceeded in the usual routine way. Suddenly mid-stream I learned that the parent had put in a complaint that the autism diagnosis was being removed. Nothing prepared me for the moment when I discovered a mother who was upset to find that her child did not have autism. Then I discovered that this was not the first complaint the mother had made. In the child's initial evaluation, he was found not to have autism, even though a developmental pediatrician had diagnosed him. But, unwilling to fight with a parent, my bosses had determined the best course of action was to give the child the diagnosis as a mediation concession. My boss was not willing to fight with her because it would be very expensive and we would lose. I was not given a choice in the matter. Twice, a child was given the diagnosis of autism as a mediation concession. I have been radically honest despite the risks; Willard and I lose to pragmatic legalism in education. I pray hard for that child and all the many children I have encountered in recent years whose parents need them to be sicker than they are. This is just one of many kinds of situation in which nothing in my experience or training had prepared me. In my initial years as a psychologist, the role of administrators was more supportive of children and psychologists; something changed along the years. Administrators whose first priority is not what is best for children but what is legally pragmatic was another set of situations I was not prepared for by training or experience. In my depths, I know that our souls need to be seen; and we need to be heard. Only by listening deeply to the children can we hear their pain. Only by listening deeply can we know that their behavior is about their deepest needs not being met; at this age, it is not usually about defying the adults around them, as many teachers and parents believe. Most children cannot get that far. Most cannot get beyond the deep needs to be seen and heard for the people they are, to be affirmed and loved just as they are, despite the adult's needs to fix them, to label them as sick, or to reject or abandon them. This book represents a sampling of the results of that experiment with heart- and soul-centered practice. I now view heart-and soul-centered practice along with strength-based approaches as the hope for the future of our children and for the education systems that are now failing them.

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9780998131511

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is both a lovely and an important book. Jennifer Elam, working in her official role as School Psychologist, meets the children from the inside - compassion and hope shine through those encounters, conveyed through picture and poem. The first section draws on Jennifer's professional experience, life experience and cross-cultural research to make the case for this inside out approach. The subsequent sections illustrate, beautifully in every modality, how this can be lived and delivered. --Isabel Clarke, Editor of Psychosis and Spirituality: Consolidating the New Paradigm, 2nd Edition A sensitive and wise contribution to the teaching of young children. If some teachers in California had this book, my grandson might not have gotten kicked out of daycare at age 4. The artwork is stunning and speaks to the heart. --Ellie Caldwell, Professor, Grandmom, and author of Why Our Kids Hate Us (And How They Probably Don't) In Soul Returns To Preschool, Jen Elam pushes us past the first step of Person First human services to the dance of a Spirit First conceptualization of the child brought to us. We can step beyond diagnosis and see the builder, the drummer, the seer, the empathic soul. -Alice Hasbrouck PsyD, Certified School Psychologist, Early Intervention As a parent, I have long endeavored to find a way to help my children build on their strengths. It was always easy to see whenever that endeavor succeeded: they blossomed, excited about what they were learning. It also became increasingly easy to see that our public education system was not providing this same type of growth for each and every student. Soul Returns to Preschool successfully shines a light on an area where our public education system has relaxed in this endeavor and presents a way that educators, councilors, and administrators alike can restore my faith in public education and return to serving the real needs of students at every level. --Rich Schiffer, father of two

Author Information

Jennifer Elam is a Friend and a licensed psychologist who has studied Quaker spirituality and the lives of the Christian contemplatives and mystics. A longtime calling to live in community led her to Pendle Hill in 1996 as resident student and then as Cadbury Scholar. In the art studio at Pendle Hill, Sally Palmer became her mentor. The art forms she engaged in are now manifestations of her prayer life. Her paintings make visible her inner landscapes and provide a sanctuary for her soul. Jen's media include writing, dancing, body prayer, drumming, book arts, paste papers, and life. Creativity is her source for connection with her Creator and is at the center of everything she does. She holds master's degrees in sociology and psychology and a PhD in school psychology from the University of North Carolina. She has served as assistant professor in human services and school psychology, psychologist in residential treatment, school psychologist in public schools, and as a school psychologist with three-to-five-year-olds. Jennifer has led over a hundred courses, workshops, and retreats in Arts and Spirituality and is the author of four books. Born in Kentucky, Jennifer is now writing passionately about her heritage. She is a member of Berea Friends Meeting in Berea, Kentucky, and attends Middletown Preparative Meeting in Pennsylvania.

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