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Common Characteristics and Treatment Considerations
Vula Baliotis, Ph.D.Clinical Psychologist in Private PracticeSanta Monica and Torrance
Working With Gifted Children:
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What is “Gifted?”
A loaded word:
Not about being “special.”
Not related to one’s worth as a human being.
There is disagreement in the field as to what the term “gifted” refers to and what areas giftedness covers.
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Federal Definition of Gifted & Talented
“...by virtue of outstanding abilities are
capable of high performance.”
Necessitate “differentiated educational programs
and/or services beyond those normally provided by the regular school program
in order to realize their contribution to self and
society.”
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Tsien’s Definition of Intelligence
“...the central mission of intelligence is to solve various problems in their natural and
social environments in order to survive and thrive. This means
that intelligence is ultimately about the ability to self-discover knowledge and patterns from
a world full of uncertainties and infinite possibilities.”
(2016, p. 2)
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Giftedness and IQ
• Average IQ is 90-110– 25th-75th percentile
– Mean=100, SD=15
– 68% of the population
• “Giftedness” starts at 130– 98th percentile and above
– Very Superior range
– 2.2% of the population
To compare:
• Average IQ of people graduating college is 120 (Superior/High Average)
• Average IQ of executives, attorneys, scientists, and physicians is 125 (Superior)
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Classifications of Giftedness
Classification Standard Score Percentile Rank
Gifted (Very Superior) 130-137 98-99
Highly Gifted 138-144 99-99.8
Exceptionally Gifted 145-151 99.9->99.9
Profoundly Gifted 152 and above >99.9
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Common Myths
Only good at
one thing
Can’t have a learning disability
Are Are organized/ have good
study skills
Don’t experience difficulties in school
Don’t experience difficulties in school
Will become
successful adults
Will become
successful adults
Are as
advanced
Are as emotionally
as intellectually advanced
Are show-offs about
their abilities
Are show-offs about
their abilities
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Common Myths
Good at everything
Born that way—it’s all genetic
Born that way—it’s all genetic
Don’t have to try hard
Are weird nerds
Are weird nerds
Are proud and
arrogant
Are typically valued for
their abilities
Are typically valued for
their abilities
Don’t have special educational needs
Don’t have special educational needs
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Hereditary or Environmental?
Strong hereditary componentParents are often gifted themselves.
Siblings also tend to be gifted.(Not always the case)
Most likely to flourish in a
supportive environment
Abilities are developed & evolve through:Exposure
Practice/use
OpportunityAn emerging experience
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Cognitive Characteristics
Strong Verbal Abilities
• Start speaking earlier than other children
• Have unusually large vocabularies
• Speak in complex sentences
• Read early and avidly– Often teach themselves to
read
Abstract and Applied Thinking
• Understand abstract concepts
• Can compare & contrast, find similarities & differences
• Understand connotations & nuances of words
• Utilize metacognition
• Can apply knowledge to work out problems
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Cognitive Characteristics
Complex Thinking
• Seek cognitive stimulation
• Go toward difficult problems
• Understand complex connections between systems and structures
• Like problems with multiple answers, possibilities, or solutions
• Can become bored if tasks are too simple or mundane
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Cognitive Characteristics
Divergent & Synergistic Thinking
• Seek new perspectives and novel ideas.
• Strong in divergent (breaking apart) and synergistic (putting together to create something new) thinking.
• Question conventional ways of thinking, think “outside the box.”
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Cognitive Characteristics
Intense Curiosity and Passion
• Curious and inquisitive– Favorite question is “Why?”
• Restless and impulsive
• Self-motivated, driven to learn and to be challenged
• Passionate about beliefs/ideas in debates and conversations
• Some of their questions can seem inappropriate
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Cognitive Characteristics
• Resist following a direction without first receiving an adequate explanation
• Tend to be leaders
• Don’t conform– “Because that’s our religion/tradition”
• Defy rules or authority
• Experience power struggles with authority
• Can seem oppositional, bossy, disrespectful, and difficult to work with
Independent Thinking
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Cognitive Characteristics
Broad Interests & Multitalented
• Intensely interested in many things at the same time.
• Shift from one interest to the next.
• Can work on multiple things at the same time.
• Have difficulty choosing between competing interests and talents.
• Can seem disorganized or scattered.(Some have tunnel vision—intense focus on one or a couple of interests)
May have difficulty completing tasks because they are interested in too
many things and need constant novelty.
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Cognitive Characteristics
• Creative problem-solvers; imaginative and fluid
• Have vivid visualizations and dreams– Create elaborate stories
– Often have imaginary playmates or pets
– May combine truth & fiction
– Movies, stories, and dreams can be felt as real
Imaginative and Creative
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Cognitive Characteristics
Sense of Humor
May invent riddles and puns.
Delight in word-play.“Why are dinos sore?” (dinosaur)
Humor might seem unusual to others.
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Cognitive Characteristics
Seek Knowledge and Understanding
Search for truth and meaning to existential questions.
Seek answers to questions.“Why is the sky blue?”
“Why does God get to be so bossy but I am not allowed to?”
Aren’t satisfied with superficial answers.“That’s just how it’s done.”
“Because I said so.”
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Cognitive Characteristics
• Can focus on many things at the same time
• Become all-consumed in what they’re doing, when interested
• Notice details others miss
• Strong attention/focus over a long timespan
• Can't switch off thinking
Intense Focus & Concentration
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Cognitive Characteristics
Interest in Experimenting
• Take things apart to learn how they are made, then put them back together.
• Mix things together to see what they become or how they taste.
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Perfectionism
• High self-expectations and standards for their endeavors
• Low tolerance for mediocrity
• Allow little room for mistakes, failure, or inadequacies
• Expect themselves to already know
• Self-critical, can feel inadequate, like an imposter/fraud
• Have difficulty taking credit for their accomplishments
• Can become frustrated with and disappointed by others’ failings too
Tyranny of the Superior One
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Underachievement
• More aware than peers of what is possible to achieve
• Might feel beaten down and give up before they even try
• Feel unable to meet their or others’ expectations
• Low self-esteem may lead them to
– Perform below their gifted potential
– Avoid or rebel against tasks
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Emotional Characteristics
Experience depth of intensity, regardless of the feeling.
Feelings and beliefs are passionate.
May feel “at one” with the universe or “all alone in this world.”
Stronger emotions may lead to depression (instead of sadness) and outbursts (instead of being
upset).
Intensity
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Emotional Characteristics
• Intensity can be externalized (e.g., temper tantrums) or internalized (e.g., beating up on themselves)
• Intensities can overwhelm them and others
• Can blame themselves for these characteristics
Intensity
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Emotional Characteristics
• Highly emotional/reactive
• Acutely aware of their feelings and differentness
• More aware of adult conversations and adult concerns than typical kids– E.g., current events
• Aware of sensual aspects of their environment
Sensitivity
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Emotional Characteristics
Sensitivity
• Sensitive to others’ feelings
• Pick up on the “feeling tone” of situations
• Experience a strong identification with others
• Develop deep attachments
• Need authenticity
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Emotional Characteristics
• Burdened by more to process (as compared to other children)
• Feel angst or excessive worries that they do not have the tools to deal with
• May have difficulty self-regulating
• Can feel alienated, lonely, ashamed, and decreased self-esteem
• May lead to depression/anxiety
Sensitivity
Hurt easily, can feel pain and conflict deeply.
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Highly responsive to others’ needs and expectations
(May help, even at a cost to themselves)
Emotional Characteristics
Can pick up on complexity of personalities and social dynamics.
Can simultaneously consider multiple
aspects and layers of situations.
Perceptiveness
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Emotional Characteristics
Can see the “underneath meaning,” which often is missed by other children.
Pick up on social facades, disingenuousness, and
hypocrisy.
Recognize underlying motivations and dynamics.
Perceptiveness
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Emotional Characteristics
Intuitive
Aware of even small changes in their environment
Feedback they often receive: “It’s all in your head.”
“You’re just being sensitive.”
May lead gifted children to question their perceptions and to feel badly
about themselves because they see themselves as different.
Perceptiveness
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Emotional Characteristics
•Strong Strong Moral Conviction and a Global View
• Idealistic, passionate about fairness and truth
• Focused on the rules of life
• Can’t tolerate hypocrisy or understand why others can
• May break down in tears or exhibit righteous indignation at an injustice toward themselves or others.
• Deeply committed to others and to social or political concerns
• Compassionate toward humanity and the wellbeing of other living creatures– Great capacity for empathy,
especially for vulnerable ones
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Twice Exceptionality (2e)
Disabilities may include:• Specific learning disability
• Speech and language disorder
• Emotional/behavioral disorder
• Physical disability
• A mental disorder, such as– Autism spectrum disorder
– Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD)
– Executive functioning difficulties
– Anxiety or depression
Intellectually gifted individuals who also have one or more special needs or disabilities, as
defined by federal or state eligibility
criteria.
(National Association
for Gifted Children)
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Twice Exceptionality (2e)
• Giftedness – May be “overshadowed” by their
disabilities.
– May help them to compensate, thereby “masking” their learning deficits.
• Special educational needs often are overlooked– Until adolescence or later.
– Or never identified throughout one’s lifetime.
(National Association for Gifted Children)
Like other gifted learners,
individuals who are 2e are very knowledgeable
and talented in at least one area.
BUT...
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Twice Exceptionality (2e)
• Inconsistent academic performance
• Frustration, lack of motivation, giving up, and underachievement
• Loss of curiosity and love of learning
• Lowered self-esteem and self-efficacy, feeling like a fraud
• Confusion and frustration from parents and teachers
• Misinterpretation of behavior, including labels such as “lazy” or “defiant”
Students who are 2e often have difficulties with
their school environment and with academic
demands.
(National Association
for Gifted Children)
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Asynchronous Development
• Uneven development in cognitive, emotional, and physical abilities, skills, and talents
– Often seen as significant differences on cognitive ability or achievement tests
• Mismatched experience between a gifted child and a non-gifted peer
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Asynchronous Development
Asynchrony is pervasive and often very
noticeable in gifted children
(and adults).
Asynchrony is pervasive and often very
noticeable in gifted children
(and adults).
Those with higher levels of giftedness tend to have more extreme
asynchronous development.
Those with higher levels of giftedness tend to have more extreme
asynchronous development.
Some experts believe that asynchronous development—not
ability—is the “defining characteristic” of
giftedness.
Some experts believe that asynchronous development—not
ability—is the “defining characteristic” of
giftedness.National Association
for Gifted Children
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Asynchronous Development
Asynchronous development adds
additional “emotional charge” to intensities.
• Creates psychic conflict in self-definition
• Know enough to be aware of what they cannot yet do
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Effects of Asynchronous Development
Creates:
• Intense internal pressure
• Impossible self-expectations and sense of powerlessness
• “Out-of-sync” feelings
• Feeling like an “alien”
• Confusion & frustration (child & others)
• Shame, disappointment, like a failure
• Giving up on oneself
“What’s wrong with me?”
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Overexcitabilities (OEs)
• Feel higher-than-average neuronal sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
• Demonstrate a “uniquely heightened way of experiencing and responding to their environment.” (Karpinskia & Borowskid, 2018)
• Life experiences are heightened.
• Sensitivity and intensity are found at all ends of the spectrum.
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Types of Overexcitability
Intellectual Emotional
Imaginational Psychomotor
Sensual
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OEs, Giftedness, and Creativity
A relationship has been found between creativity/giftedness and
having OEs.
In adults and children
Especially intellectual, emotional, and imaginational OEs
(Ackerman, 1997; Bouchet & Falk, 2001; Dabrowski, 1972; Gallagher, 1986; Miller, Silverman, & Falk, 1994; Piechowski,
Sliverman, & Falk, 1985; Schiever, 1985; Silverman & Ellsworth, 1981)
OEs are not exclusive to gifted or creative individuals.
Giftedness/Creativity OEs
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People often are overwhelmed by gifted children’s intensities and OEs, seeing them as “too much.”People often are overwhelmed by gifted children’s intensities and OEs, seeing them as “too much.”
Interpersonal (including familial) conflict and isolation can occur.
(Gallagher, 1958; Morawska & Sanders, 2009)
Interpersonal (including familial) conflict and isolation can occur.
(Gallagher, 1958; Morawska & Sanders, 2009)
Gifted children may have a “crisis of self, as they attempt to minimize their responses to better adapt and fit in with the vast statistical majority around them.” (Average IQ)
(Karpinskia & Borowskid, 2018)
Gifted children may have a “crisis of self, as they attempt to minimize their responses to better adapt and fit in with the vast statistical majority around them.” (Average IQ)
(Karpinskia & Borowskid, 2018)
Impact of Intensities/OEs
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Blessing or Curse?
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Blessing or Curse?
“The highly intelligent individual has a remarkable capacity for seeing and internalizing...vast
uncertainties, possibilities, and problems. This gift can either be a catalyst for empowerment and
self-actualization or it can be a predictor of dysregulation and debilitation....”
(Karpinskia & Borowskid, 2018)
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Giftedness and Illness
Mood Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
AD/HD
Compared to national averages, highly intelligent
individuals are at a significantly greater risk for:
…and for conditions involving inflammation and dysregulation
of the immune system, including:
AllergiesAllergies
AsthmaAsthma
Autoimmune DiseaseAutoimmune Disease
(Karpinskia & Borowskid, 2018)
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Problematic Mental Health Conceptualizations
• Mental health is viewed as:– Absence of mental illness– Being adjusted to environmental
and societal norms– Internal balance and equilibrium– Presence of wellbeing and life
satisfaction
• Mental health treatment – Focuses on reducing “problematic”
symptoms – Minimizes developmental work
(Mika, 2008)
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Dabrowski’s View of Mental Health
• Mental health is a process (not a state).
• Involves the development of an individual personality thorough and deep evaluation of one’s values.
• Many “pathological” mental states (inner conflict, sadness, anxiety) are necessary in order to reach personality growth.
– Pathological: Symptoms are stagnant or adevelopmental.
– Not pathological: Symptoms show potential for development (through positive disintegration).
(Mika, 2008)
“Prolonged periods or more permanent states of well-being
are characteristic for people with diminished sensitivity
toward themselves and others, and to the existential realities
of human life in general.”
(Mika, 2008, p. 149)
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Entelechy
• An imperative toward self-determination and self-actualization
• An intense desire and deep need to be the most that one can be
• Achievement-oriented– Difference between perfectionism
found with entelechy and problematic perfectionism
• Strong leadership qualities– Inspire others toward growth
Inner strength and vitality to realize of one’s potential
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Treatment Considerations
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The Columbus Group Definition of Giftedness
Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened
intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from
the norm. This asynchrony increases with the higher the intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable
and requires modifications in parenting, teaching, occupational therapy, and counseling in order for
them to develop optimally.
(1990)
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Sense of Self
• Know, understand, and accept one’s whole self
• Learn how to sustain identity, despite pressure to conform– Play into social facades or risk
being rejected?
– How to be authentic without alienating others
• Accept imperfections, limitations, and vulnerabilities– Mourn mortality and the limits of
time and space
• Set limits and time to rest
Listen to intuition and unique, creative voice.
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Sense of Self
Address complex and tricky defenses:
Rationalization
Intellectualization
Sublimation
Appreciate assets of giftedness and the good that can come from them
• Can have impact in changing the world
• Willing to stand up for own ideas, what is fair and moral, etc.
• Sensitive, caring, and giving to others
• Have richness/depth of feelings and experiences
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Interpersonal
• May feel burdened by others’ needs and expectations.
• Set clear boundaries and limits on what they can give.
• “Connected but separate”
• Therapeutic relationship can be used as a model.
Find balance between focusing on
intrapersonal and interpersonal needs.
Me Others
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Interpersonal
• May be more interested in one’s own mind than in “light” or meaningless relationships.
• May be socially awkward but really want connections.
• May differ from peers in interests.
• Needs like-minded people.
• May need a variety of friends, each who can provide something meaningful and reflect a certain aspect of her/himself.
Facilitate
Social Support(as needed)
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Interpersonal
• Empathize with others’ needs, even if they may seem “irrelevant.”
• Understand the impact their giftedness might have on others.
• Reduce unrealistic expectations of others.
• Understand that others may not experience the world as they do.
• Respect others’ level of thinking, feeling, and intensities.
Appreciate what relationships with
others can offer them.
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Emotional
• Increase “feeling vocabulary” to address complex, nuanced feelings.
• Increase frustration tolerance, and improve self-regulation.
• Accept all feelings and their intensity.
– Even difficult ones are alright and tolerable
• Grieve the loneliness of being different and experiencing rarely-matched intensity.
• Help develop the capacity to “sit with the questions.”
– Especially when it comes to existential questions
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Coping
• Learn communication skills (listening and responding appropriately).
• Anticipate and prepare for physical and emotional responses.
• Find intellectual, emotional, and physical outlets for high levels of energy and overexcitabilities.
• Come to accept that intensities are here to stay– Don’t try to get rid of them
– Learn how to pay attention to them, think about them (mentalize), and regulate them
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Coping
• Find avenues to do something meaningful– To express ideas, emotions, insight,
and creativity
– To address sensitivities and existential angst
• Cultivate relationships with role models who “get” them.
• Use other famous gifted people as role models.
Utilize intellectual skills, creativity, and curiosity to address
emotional difficulties.
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Parents
• Feel discounted, mistrusted, and judged– “Who do you think you are to think your
child is gifted?”
• Feel isolated or alienated, as they try to figure out how to best parent their child
• Question their own judgment and assessment of their child
• Have to contend with society’s rejection of and negative reactions toward their gifted child– Society values conformity, and gifted
children often don’t conform to these standards
“Why is your child having all of these problems if she
is so smart?”
“Why don’t you do what I do with my child?”
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Parents
Trauma or pain surrounding how others treated parents’ childhood intensities can
unconsciously affect how parents now deal with their child’s intensities.
They can become anxious and scared when they see their gifted child struggle.
“Is my child going to make it in this world?”
“Am I damaged goods, and did I create a child who is damaged goods?”
Their anxiety can escalate child’s feelings.
Parents can become especially triggered when their child is
emotionally intense.
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How Parents Can Help Their Gifted Child
• Support children’s need to seek knowledge, understanding, and truth, regardless of age.
• Provide opportunities for intellectual interests to be pursued– Will need to become a
strong advocate in academic settings
– May need an assessment
• Help find ways for child to address concerns, make an impact, and experience self-efficacy– Work in a soup kitchen
– Start up a group focusing on child’s interest
– Write a letter about a concern
• Must still set appropriate boundaries– May need to explain why.
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How Parents Can Help Their Gifted Child
The most important aspects of gifted children’s development are
healthy parent-child and family relationships and strong parental
support.
Parents must show that they are genuinely listening with curiosity and that they can
understand their child’s perspective (even if they don’t agree with it).
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Therapists
• Become knowledgeable about literature on giftedness and creativity.
• Understand that the intellect might be the way in – But that intellectual understanding is
not enough for true change
• Be willing to say, “I don’t know.”
• Embrace the complexity of the patient’s feelings and thoughts.
Be intellectually curious, playful, and flexible.
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Therapists
• Be authentic, genuine, and trustworthy.– Gifted children have a strong
radar for phoniness.
• Really listen and don’t infantalize.
• Don’t over-diagnose or misdiagnose– Especially overexcitabilities
• Take seriously their concerns, perspectives, & self-knowledge.
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Therapists
Be mindful of patients’ vulnerabilities and sensitivities.
• May be sharing very intimate parts of themselves that they have not felt safe sharing with anyone else.
• Likely to have felt alone with their feelings/thoughts.
• May have felt ashamed and disenfranchised (given others’ biases or lack of understanding).
Do not try to get rid of intense feelings.
Bear them with patient,instead of trying to fix them.
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Therapists’ Countertransference
• Biases toward giftedness– Remember that gifted
patients are likely to be very perceptive.
• Feelings toward one’s own giftedness (or about not having been identified as gifted)– Feeling “less than” or
intimidated
• Understand projections without taking them personally.– “You don’t know anything.”
– “You’re smart, just like me.”
– “You must think I’m full of myself.”
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Resources
• Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page– hoagiesgifted.org
• Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)– sengifted.org
• Genius Denied– geniusdenied.com
• National Association for Gifted Children– nagc.org
• About.com: Gifted Children– giftedkids.about.com
• Westside of LA Gifted– https://www.meetup.com/W
estside-of-Los-Angeles-Gifted/
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Useful Readings for Clinicians
• A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children (Webb, Gore, Amend, & DeVries, 2007)
• Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults (2nd
Ed.) (Webb, Amend, Beljan, Webb, Kuzujanakis, Olenchak, & Goerss, 2016)
• Living with Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults (Daniels & Piechowski, eds., 2008)
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Thank You!
Vula Baliotis, Ph.D.Clinical Psychologist
PsychotherapyAssessmentsConsultation
Parenting
Santa Monica Torrance
drvula.com310.963.2724