The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 104

The S.C., Sunday, November 20, 1983 3-E Destructive Kid Behavior Can Be Helped By MARC McFARLAND United Press International PORTLAND, Ore. Children who deliberately set fires are allowed to do that very thing at a Portland hospital in an effort to find and eliminate the root of the destructive behavior. "The fires are a plea for help by children who are depressed, angry or both and don't have the skills to protect themselves from harm," says Dr. J. Douglas Myers, a psychologist and director of the unique, in-patient treatment given to fire-setting children at Cedar Hills Hospital.

Myers said five children have been admitted to the hospital since the program began in June. He estimated in four years of private counseling he has treated 50-70 patients 6 to 17 years old "who had fire-setting as part of their problems." Children who deliberately set fires, mostly boys, usually are rejected by foster homes and institutions, Myers said. "Fire-setting children are not accepted for treatment at many homes because of the fear that they will set more fires. Their (social) case workers can't get them in any place. These are kids who usually fall through the cracks until they set a big enough fire that sends them to jail," Myers said.

"The problem for homes is insurance and fire-safety codes, and the children become the lepers of mental health." Half of the children he has treated privately and at the hospital have been 8 years old or younger, Myers said. Their fire-setting is a "learned" reaction to depression and anger, he said. "In general, the kids are very depressed," Myers said. "Their feelings have been hurt very badly. Some have been the victims of physical or sexual abuse.

They don't know how to feel good about themselves and they lack the skills to deal with everyday problems." The children generally do poorly in school and suffer from ridicule by their peers or adults, Myers said. "Because of deep depression or lack of skills, they have learned for whatever reason to take the anger of being hurt and converting it into setting a fire," he said. "In behavior, fire is one of the most powerful symbols." Fire-setting often is learned by watching others do it or from seeing it on television, he said. During a child's hospital stay, eventually he is given the opportunity to set a fire in a controlled area, Myers said. "We safely recreate the event by talking about it.

then subtly putting them in a fire-proof Myers said. "There, they can color, draw or do whatever they like. There also happen to be matches, a lighter and paper. "As soon as they ignite it, we stop the test and go out and talk with them going over step-by-step everything they were thinking and feeling before setting the fire." The goal of the test is to get the children to understand why they are setting the fires. Once their hostility and feelings of depression are uncovered, they can be taught to deal with those feelings in a constructive way, he said.

"The treatment sounds emotionally strong, but it is balanced with teaching them to be happy and proud of themselves," he said. "The children are hugged and rewarded when they do something good. They are taught how to feel good about themselves. "Because fire-setting is a learned behavior, they can learn how not to do it. But more than that, they are taught how to feel good about themselves and to become responsible for their behavior." Parents also receive counseling.

The schools attended by the children are contacted to arrange a course of study that will encourage the children to recognize their strengths. "Children who deliberately set fires often can't read or write," Myers said. "They feel dumb in school. They become dropouts and Kathy Edwards, director of community relations, said the hospital was contacting insurance companies about underwriting scholarship treatment programs for fire-setting youths. Inn From Page 1-E "I believe people are tired of the convention hotels and want the personal services that small inns like ours can give," said Widman, whose background includes supervision of 70 Holiday Inns in Ohio and Michigan and general manager of Charleston's Mills House.

There are no plans to enlarge Kings Courtyard. "We couldn't if we wanted to because there isn't room, but we don't want to," he said. "By staying small we can guarantee good service. Every employee is handpicked. We want a family of employees and we want the atmosphere to be as homey as possible." Daily rates range from $60 to $100.

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