Child psychotherapy

For therapies based on attachment theory see Attachment based therapy (children).

Mental health interventions for children vary with respect to the problem being addressed and to the age and other individual characteristics of the child. Although such interventions share some approaches, treatment methods can be quite different from each other.

Terms describing child treatments may vary from one part of the world to another, with particular differences in the use of the terms "psychotherapy" and "psychoanalysis". For these reasons, readers should take special care to consider definitions of terms in this article.

Evidence-based child and adolescent psychotherapy

There are many therapeutic approaches to address mental health concerns among children and adolescents. Some of these approaches are backed by strong scientific evidence, and some are not. A detailed summary of these issues is provided by the American Psychological Association.^[1]

Parent-infant psychotherapy

If the normal course of secure attachment between parent and infant is disrupted, parent-infant psychotherapy is one technique that can be used to restore this bond. This technique requires a three-way relationship between the parent, child and therapist. During the therapy sessions the parent expresses his or her thoughts and feelings which are based on a combination of factors including:

1. The parent’s experiences as a child
2. The parent’s expectations and hopes for the child’s future
3. The relationships the parent has with other people

The therapist’s role is as an observer and an interpreter of the interaction between the infant and the parent. He might share some of his thoughts about the behaviour of the child with the parent and by doing so offering the parent an alternative way of experiencing the child. This technique helps the parent to resolve issues with his or her own infancy-experiences in order to restore secure attachment with the infant. And it helps lower the risk for psychopathological developments of the child in the future.^[2][3]

Challenges to therapists

Children entering psychotherapy have most often been exposed to family violence or other traumatic experiences. Treating traumatized children may be unusually challenging for the therapist because of vicarious traumatization. Access to reflective supervision is needed to prevent a sense of helplessness and a "self-protective tendency to view complex clinical cases as intractable" ^[4]

See also

• Clinical psychology
• Psychoanalysis
• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Psychotherapy
• Play therapy
• Mental health
• Attachment-based therapy (children)
• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Parent-Child Interaction Assessment-II (PCIA-II)
• PCIA-II/MAP Modifying Attributions of Parents Intervention

References

v t e Attachment theory Theory Affectional bond Attachment in adults Attachment in children Attachment disorder Attachment measures Attachment parenting Attachment theory Human bonding Maternal deprivation Object relations theory Reactive attachment disorder Notable theorists Mary Ainsworth John Bowlby Erik Erikson Sigmund Freud Harry Harlow Jerome Kagan Melanie Klein Konrad Lorenz Mary Main Nikolaas Tinbergen Rene Spitz Controversy Attachment therapy Candace Newmaker Clinical applications Attachment-based therapy (children) Attachment-based psychotherapy