Parent & Child Psychotherapy

Parent + Child Psychotherapy works with in a flexible way, sometimes both adult and child are in the room with the psychotherapist, sometimes I meet with the adults alone. This approach aims to understand the meaning behind a child’s challenging behavior and any difficulties there may be in the relationships the child has such as to his/ her parents or siblings. Part of the work involves focussing on the parents' own childhoods and any unresolved experiences from that time which could be impacting on their parenting of their child now.

Parent + Child Psychotherapy attempts to improve the relationship between the parent and child, including improving their communication, their understanding of each other and helping to restore their sense of shared safety and loving attachment.

The structure comprises a short assessment phase of 2-3 sessions and treatment of between 10-24 fortnightly sessions. For looked after children more sessions may be needed.

Example:

An adopted child who was otherwise settled and happy suffered occasional but increasingly regular meltdowns during which she claimed no one loved her and she wanted to leave. This situation worried and confused the child’s parents, understandably. In our work together we came to understand that the child’s earlier disruptions and breaks of attachment were still re-surfacing and causing her to feel those feelings and worries she suffered years before.

Once this was named with the child together we thought about the pain and fear she had endured as a much younger child, she came to feel both understood and reassured; her parents too felt this and the child’s meltdowns disappeared and in there place was a much greater capacity for all of them to talk about feelings – the child became much happier.

Contact me in confidence on t: 07877 048 087 or e: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more.