Movie Review: Monsters University (2013)

Movie Summary: Monsters University (2013)

Before Mike and Sulley were heroes of Monsters Inc (2001), they went to university. This prequel was true to the original movie. Without giving too much away, it's the age old theme of the underdogs becoming heroes. Mike and Sulley both had great expectations of how university would prepare them to be monsters.

I loved it, but I'm biased because I loved the original movie. It was so funny, so funny. And it was funny at so many different levels that it's sure to be relevant no matter your age. It's quite a good time to show this movie, the kids who enjoyed the original movie 10 years ago are probably in university now or about to enter university. 

My psychological perspective:

Suitability for children: 

I believe that this movie is suitable for the whole family. Parental guidance is recommended for little ones where it may become a little scary.
The premise behind the Monsters movies are that children's screams power their city. And there is a whole system trying to figure out what children are afraid of to customize the scare. more relevant to the original movie, but children can overcome fears by reframing and thinking their monsters are funny or cute. In this movie, the monsters use their strengths to overcome their weaknesses and gain confidence.

Things to talk to your kids about:

Bullying. Being unique/different. Working as a team. Nightmares.

Things to talk to your teens about:

Potentially, conversations about university and career aspirations. Expectations of college life. 

My Christian Perspective:

Challenges makes heroes. Sometimes we go through a lot of suffering and are confused about where God is.  But I believe God is sovereign. Consider Proverbs 16:4. A major benefit is that God can see the ending before we do. Just like in Monsters University, I watched it knowing full well that Mike and Sulley would become a great team. At times throughout the movie I lost track of that, and I think we loose track of the fact that God is in control as well.

This movie is worth watching with your family. There are so many topics to reflect on including: making mistakes, righteousness, redemption, perseverance. 

My overall rating: 

Excellent

It was an enjoyable movie to those who were fans of the original Monsters Inc and all the little ones will love this. From my clinical experience, I have found that bullying is such a big issue in today's schools. This is a great launch point of discussion and skills building for young people. 

If you don't get a chance to watch it on the big screen, I'm sure it's going to be a favourite dvd at home. 

Monsters University is currently screening at cinemas near you. 

#monstersuniversity #pixar #moviereview

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Book review: Attachment-based clinical work with children and adolescents (2013)

Book Summary: Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) (2013)

This book gives a comprehensive run through of attachment from birth through to adolescence. There is a balance of research and clinical case examples. Reading the book gave me a good reminder of undergraduate psychology courses as well as a few ideas for clinical practice.

My Psychological Perspective:
Understanding attachment became exceedingly important when I began to work with children and adolescents in the public health sector. Some areas were well described by the authors, for example, Transmission gaps, that are discussed explores to when attachments don't match between child and caregiver. But other areas were muddy.
I remember learning about these theories surrounding attachment (e.g. separation-individuation, object constancy, attachment styles) years ago, but the book was able to summarize quite well using references to well known research studies, examples and case studies.
There are also things I would definitely consider more of in clinical practice after reading the book including: the use of video recording to review interactions, viewing trauma through an attachment lens, giving a traumatic event a narrative, and investigating systems more.
The authors gave brief introductions to a range of therapies including circle of security, trauma focused attachment psychotherapy. I have my reservations regarding Dance therapy/ wilderness therapy/ group play therapy, which I don't have much knowledge of but the authors were able to illustrate the use of these techniques for a basic overview.

My Christian Perspective:

At various points in the bible, God is referred to as an attachment figure. For example, Isaiah 66:13  talks about how God will comfort us just as a mother comforts a child. While this analogy works well for those with a secure attachment, those with disrupted attachments can be quite uncomfortable with this. I think the book is also useful for those of us who are trying to figure out our relationship with God. We can somewhat try to understand within the attachment framework how and why we respond to God in different ways.

My overall rating: 

Good

This is a reasonable resource I would expect in any university library but certainly not a reference I would need to turn to frequently. I thought the book was a hybrid to match the needs of an early academic (undergraduate) and clinical audience. The mix of research evidence and clinical case studies provided greater insights into the understanding of attachment in adolescence and childhood. However, this is certainly not a book that can be digested in one setting, it's wordy, and in a few chapters, the key themes were lost among citations. It would teach you how to do attachment therapy, but it will certainly wet your appetite. 

Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) is available now through Amazon and  Springer.

I was provided a review copy of Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents (Essential Clinical Social Work Series) by the publisher but was in no way paid for writing this review.

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