Heather Hanlin Ghost Paint Therapy
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for Gifted and 2E
What is Gifted?
The answer, much like the subject, is complicated.
Formal gifted programs in education tend to focus on aptitude and ability and use variants of IQ testing for identification. But IQ only tells part of the picture.
Frequently the impetus to test for giftedness relies on early development of skills and interests, but this assumption implies that development will “even out” eventually. Instead, most gifted children grow into gifted adults. Gifted development is present throughout the lifespan.
I think the easiest definition is that the gifted individual has a different world view. They are interested in ideas and things not in typical “age-appropriate” categories, regardless of what age the gifted person is. This world view tends to be more complex and nuanced than that of typical peers. Sometimes this world view is fraught with dangers others don’t perceive.
In defining giftedness, Deirdre V. Lovecky refers to Immanuel Kant’s philosophy of three mental aspects: cognition, conation, and emotion. The combo of these three describes the traits most often found in a gifted person: high cognitive ability (faster, deeper, or more complex learning) drive, desire, or motivation, and intensity.
Of course all of this means that the gifted person needs a different approach in psychotherapy: a more complex, nuanced, and aware that there might be unseen dangers approach.
What is 2E
or Twice Exceptional?
A Tale of Two Tails
Twice Exceptional has been defined in the context of learning as someone with Gifted and Talented strengths coupled with a Learning Disability. But I like to take it a little broader in defining 2E as having both exceptional abilities and exceptional challenges. Sometimes this is described as having two tails, being on each end of the “tails” of the bell curve that describes a typical population. Obviously this will impact learning, often with one area masking the other. But this also impacts other life areas: finding and making friends, feeling satisfied with work, and having a meaningful relationship with yourself. Each person is unique, and the 2E individual has more uniqueness than most. The 2E person needs more support in both areas to reach balance and harmony in their lives.
Family Therapy
"Out of the box" kids
Every parent has wished for an "instruction manual" for their kids. And there are whole libraries of parenting books out there, but where do you turn when none of those books seem to apply?
The answer is simple, but difficult, as it comes from the very kids themselves. What do they need? Learning to ask and listen to them, while ignoring all the "advice" that comes from the outside, and staying in the parent role takes some practice and support. That's where I can help.