PSY
571 - INTRODUCTION TO INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
Spring,
2006
Monday,
5:30-8:30 pm
Brooke
J. Cannon,
Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology,
Director of Clinical Training, Psy.D. Program
Marywood University
click here to e-mail
Website:
www.brookecannon.com
PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN
Reasons for Referral
- Behavioral problems
- School or parental management problems
- Psychological disorders
- Adjustment problems
- New school
- New stepparent/stepfamily
- Trauma
- Sexual
- Physical
- Emotional
- Skill building
- Social skills
- Time management
- Externalizing vs. Internalizing Problems
- Oppositional
- Conduct
- Hyperactivity
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Withdrawal
Reasons for Referral - Biases of Parents
- Marital problems
- Poor parenting skills
- Parental psychological problems
Referral Sources
Assessment
- Self-report?
- Not for age under 5
- OK for ages 8,9 and older
- Parental report
- Depressed mothers may be biased in reports?
- Multiple informants
- Multiple methods
- Self-report
- Other-report
- Observation
Treatment Approaches – Psychoanalytic
- Nip it in the bud?
- Can actively work on relationships with parents
- Importance of analyst’s relationship with parents
- Power of therapy – Anna Freud
- Is free association used?
- Play therapy –Melanie Klein
- Through toys, child expresses “unconscious”
- Non-directive
- Analyst interprets out loud
- Does it work?
Treatment Approaches – Behavioral
- Therapist is:
- Directive
- Teacher
- Source of reinforcement
- Bell and Pad Treatment
- Systematic Desensitization
- Modeling
- Operant Conditioning
- Token economy
- Contingency management
- Intensive Exposure for Phobias
- Single, 3-hour session
- 120 children in study
- 1-year follow-up, 75% cure rate
- Does it work?
- Yes.
- But, there are questions re generalization.
- Only focuses on overt behaviors.
- Intensive tx depends on child – “is the child a microwave or crockpot”
Treatment Approaches – Cognitive-Behavioral
- Therapist is:
- Consultant
- Diagnostician
- Educator
Four Basic Child’s Rights in Psychotherapy
1) The right to be told the truth.
2) The right to be treated as a person.
3) The right to be taken seriously.
4) The right to participate in decision making.
Parent’s distorted view, unrealistic expectations
- Ethical responsibility of therapist?
- Can a child terminate therapy?
Major Differences from Adult Psychotherapy
- Referral source
- Payment source
- Person responsible for making/keeping appointments
- Informants
Noncompliance and Resistance
- Child may not complete homework
- Child may not want to come to sessions
- It may be easier for the parent to let the child quit
- 40-60% drop out
- Remember that statistic when you work with kids
- You might be doing everything right, but other factors may prevent successful completion
©
2006 by Brooke J.
Cannon, Ph.D. Last
updated January 2, 2006.