"Oh Rats!" - a Therapy Group
For Children 4-12 who have experienced Loss, Abuse, Disaster, War, Domestic Violence

Susan has created a magical world populated by small, often overlooked, animals (primarily 4 rats and their friends) that have gone through rough times and have a few rough edges themselves. Each animal has its own history and ways of coping. Some of these coping methods (defenses) are not very helpful, some are sad and some are even funny. But the puppet animals tolerate each other, share their stories, learn new attitudes and skills, and, together, they heal and grow.

Children aged 4 through 14 have participated in her group therapy. The children in the groups responded very well to the puppets and the therapy. They have been able to accept that they were not to blame and that they are not alone. They have found healing in the telling and hearing of stories of trauma. They have found a mirror and an ally in the puppet animals. They were able to recognize growth in the puppets and to remind the puppets to "breathe" and use their anger management skills. Eventually, they could see growth in the other children and even, themselves.

In therapy groups with children at domestic violence shelter, Susan used traditional and new fairytales and stories to demonstrate that unfortunate events and circumstances are not unique to the participants or our times. She has discovered that story telling can help people uncover their own emotional wounds and learn to tell their own story - stories that are sometimes almost unspeakable. This work inspired and collaborated with Susan's master thesis: "Restoring Soul Through Imagination: the Use of Fairy Tales with Abused Children." Susan has worked with children dislocated by war, kidnapped, beaten, or treated with inconsistent messages of acceptance and rejection. She has experience with children with attachment disorders and dissociative traits

Susan has worked in a domestic violence agency where she has lead therapy groups for women and children, and co-taught Anger Management Classes for court mandated offenders. Susan lead puppet therapy groups for children through Family Service Agency of Marin.

Read more about the use of Puppets for Trauma Therapy.