Opening The Book Instead of Judging It By Its Cover

A Psychodynamic Perspective of Group Work within a Women’s State Prison

After his normal routine of being cleared from security access and retrieving the office keys from the kiosk, he opened the door and walked out on the sidewalk. “Mr. B!” He heard someone yell his name across the compound. As he approached his building after a few moments, he made out the silhouette of Miss Carla Crawford (not her real name) standing there.

“Mr. B!” She yelled again. “You’ve got to come over and look at these baby bunnies!” He stood next to her. “Where?” He asked. “I don’t see them.” “Right there!” She pointed through the flower bed. The bunnies were somewhat hidden under the canopy of the tiger lily leaves. He peered through the leaves. “Oh, I see them,” Mr. B said. “Those sure are cute!” “Yeah, they are.” Carla now seemed relieved Mr. B noticed her discovery.

“Mr. B, I need more chapters.” “Chapters” is the code word that Carla needed more loose leaf notebook paper. The paper is a valuable commodity in the prison. “Sure, come on in the office, Miss Crawford. I’ll get you some more.” Mr. B gave her a half-inch stack. (That’s what they call this social worker as no one can remember his last name.) “Still writing your three kids?” “Oh yeah. Still telling them about how I grew up, what I did, and for them NOT to be like me. Keep writing them chapters and sending them out.” “Nice. Still proud of you.” Carla gave a slight smirk as she left the office. Carla never liked to show too much emotion.

Mr. B then leaned back and reflected when he first met Carla. Her mother suddenly died almost a year ago. She didn’t want to see Mr. B after the death. However, her dormitory counselor encouraged Mr. B to allow Miss Crawford to attend his new grief group the following week. He did. During the first session, he glanced across the room at the 12 prisoners. Each woman had been convicted of at least one felony to be admitted to the facility. Most were convicted of a “person” felony, where another human being had been a victim.

To a lawful member of society, each of these women deserved what was coming to them. “Lock ‘em up and throw away the key.” “We need to be safe from them.” That’s what those on the “outside” thought. To Mr. B, he suspended society’s judgments against the women. He never Googled any of them to review the news footage of their crimes. In addition, he attempted not to remember past sessions plus avoided what he wanted to accomplish in the group. (1) To him, each was a human being worthy of dignity and respect.

When interviewed as a potential participant, each patient shared why she would like to join the grief group. Most shared they had lost a family member. Like Carla. Some expressed honesty about losing their freedom. All stated they experienced difficult times—past and present—about dealing with their losses.

Mr. B knew all of the women on an individual, therapeutic basis but not like this. Not in a group setting. How was he going to create a safe, affirming, and nonjudgmental atmosphere? In a prison?

The women, first of all, were seeking symptom relief. All experienced traumatic losses. They previously understood coping “on the streets” as self-medicating through drinking, drugging, and risky behavior. Now, however, they were in prison. Most of the ladies, for the first time in their adult lives, were sober. How were they going to cope without the hedonistic measures? They now encountered the previously repressed pain and the emotion of those losses without the benefits of self-medication.

Mr. B’s strategy involved accepting the women where they were at emotionally—wherever they were. He also included immersion into their experiences from their point of view. (2) Part of the reason why the ladies escaped their pain is because no one heard them. No one heard their pain. No one heard their struggle. In some ways, their pain was unspeakable. Remembering and telling the truth about horrible events were the prerequisites for healing of these ladies. (3) Because of his training, Mr. B was able to listen, hold, and contain their strong emotions. (4) In doing so, the women were able to emotionally dig to the unconscious level where the pain had been deeply buried. (5) They were provided some relief for the discovery they made when it was recognized and knowing that they were not alone.

Repressed memories for the women involved emotional, physical, and sexual abuse while growing up. They had never been able to complete the trauma cycle. The women recounted the trauma they experienced at the hands of someone else. However, they also remembered the pain they inflicted on others. Including their own children. One of the more profound memories was the desire to be a mother. The question was raised in group. “How can I be a mother in prison?”

A brave soul spoke up and stated she needed to take responsibility for her emotions and behavior. Taking responsibility involved taking action. She decided to write her children as a parent to educate them on her own family of origin and how that influenced the unhealthy decisions she made as an adult. She wrote them to say she loved them. She also wrote how sorry she was for hurting them. All the women in the group were given notebook paper to journal their emotions and write their children.

When Carla Crawford left Mr. B’s office that morning and walked back to her dormitory, she planned to tell her three children that she loved them (again). The sight of the baby bunnies reminded Carla of the wonderful memories she had of them when they were little. And she also was wanting to write them about seeing the baby bunnies under the canopy of the tiger lily leaves.

References:

1. Bion, W. (1963). Elements of Psycho-Analysis. New York: Basic Books.

2. Maroda, K. (2012). Psychodynamic Techniques: Working with Emotion in the Therapeutic Relationship. New York: The Guilford Press.

3. Herman, J. (1997). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse To Political Terror. New York: Basic Books.

4. Casement, P. (1991). Learning from the Patient. New York: The Guilford Press.

5. Mitchell, S. and Black, M. (1995). Freud and Beyond. New York: Basic Books.

Matthew Benorden, PhD student at ICSW