I am asked that question frequently. The following is a brief description of how I approach my work with children and their families: In my experience, the first place to start with therapy is with a parent (ideally parents) and child together. From that first session I can learn a lot about the interaction between parent and child and begin making suggestions to improve the relationship, increase communication and decrease conflict.
It is very important to give the parents hope. I actively appreciate what they are doing right and gently suggest ways of improving their interactions with their child/children.
I also focus on whether the parents are both in agreement about house rules, discipline, and all aspects of their child's life. When I find serious disagreement between the parents, I suggest a parenting session with just the parents present to help them sort out their differences and work on presenting a united front to their child/children.
This work is very rewarding because its focus is on prevention. I was first inspired to work with younger clients when session after session, I heard an adult say, "Steve, I wish someone had known what kind of emotional pain I was in when I was a kid."
What are the questions you have about therapy for children?
What do you wish others had known about you when you were younger?
For an appointment to discuss these issues further, please call: 203-624-7530. I look forward to hearing from you.
2 comments:
Hi Steve - Good question! Being a Family Therapist and most often understanding a childs behavior in the context of the group - I would say that psychotherapy for children is somewhat of a mystery. I think that exclusively for the children it does not really exist, or in other words really does not have much of an effect (for the most part - at least little effect that lasts). Therapy for children is most often about parenting for the parents. To make this jump can be delicate and tricky (as Im sure you know). The younger the child is without parental cooperation - the less likely the child will improve. To me, as with most MFT's - its all about the parents.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
I totally agree with you. In therapy, parental participation is needed for lasting change to occur.
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