Children in distress

by Linda Whitney Peterson

Children who have been traumatized and who cannot talk about their experiences - either because they have pledged their silence or because they do not know the words - will subconsciously call for help through their art. The development of the "human figure drawing" (HFD) and the "kinetic family drawing" (KFD) and their scoring systems has brought a standardization to the interview of these children and the interpretation of their art, which is proving invaluable to private practitioners, trauma, centers, child protective services, and the legal system. The authors provide clear instruction so that the readers will easily learn this important and practical technique.