Parent-Child Psychotherapy

Parent-Child Psychotherapy

No matter the origin of a child’s difficulties, the most effective way to work them out is in the parent-child relationship. In parent-child psychotherapy, the parent-child relationship is the client.

Underneath a child’s self-defeating behaviour is a vulnerable child who wants and needs a secure attachment. Underlying a parent’s anxieties is a vulnerable adult who wants to be a good enough parent.  Turning what you and your child bring into the relationship you yearn for is the goal of psychotherapy.

As therapist, I will be there to support both you and your child. Together we will discover the strengths in your relationship and work through the challenges that led you to seek help. We will consider what might be going on in your child’s inner world and what your child’s feelings and behaviours trigger in you.

I draw from principles of Attachment which is the most comprehensive theory available today to explain how children thrive and learn.  (Visit www.attachmentcan.ca for descriptions of attachment and attachment disorders.)

My way of working with you may include parent-child play, reflecting on videotapes of you and your child, discussing your child’s early experiences, exploring your own parenting history or any trauma affecting your life, and providing developmental information.

Parent-child psychotherapy may be appropriate when there are concerns about

  • Bonding with an adopted child
  • Bonding with a baby who has special needs
  • Discipline
  • An infant or child’s disinterest in people
  • Lack of language
  • Sibling rivalry
  • Developmental delays
  • Postpartum depression/mood disorders
  • Addiction/recovering addiction
  • Unresolved grief or trauma for child or parent
  • Separation or divorce