A Critical Reflection on Child Maltreatment and the Use of Child-Parent Psychotherapy

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Clinical Implications
Within the application of CPP when working with children who have experienced trauma or abuse there are a number of clinical implications for therapists be aware of. Ippen et al (2011) suggest a need to target younger children, the necessity of including parents and working towards providing evidence-based services to meet client needs. The research cited above regarding the negative effects of childhood trauma supports the idea of targeting younger children. In counselling, with regards to including the parents and working with children O’Neill, Guenette and Kitchenham (2010) describe the first and most important aspect of counselling is the therapeutic relationship, furthermore the creation of a safe environment. In CPP establishing a safe therapeutic environment and home environment is crucial in providing an environment for repairing the child-parent relationship (Lieberman, 2007). CPP highlights the importance of restoring a sense of trust and safety within the intimate parent-child relationship, recreating comfortable body-based sensations, confidence within the parent and capacity to protect against harm and emotional dysregulation. Furthermore, the importance of enhancing the pleasure felt by both parent and child in engaging in age-appropriate activities. With the ultimate goal of enhancing flexibly within the child’s thinking and feeling and the parent’s thinking and feeling with the hope of maximizing opportunities to promote mutual understanding.
When considering client needs, Lieberman (2007) has identified that effective interventions need to incorporate a focus on the mother’s mental health in addition to focusing on the mother-child relationship as a way of impacting positive change in the c...

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...sychotherapy. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 563-566.
O’Neill, L., Guenette, F., & Kitchenham. (2010). ‘Am I safe here and do you like me’: Understanding complex trauma and attachment disruption in the classroom. British Journal of Special Education, 37, (4), 190-197.
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2010). Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect - 2008: Major Findings. Ottawa, Ont: Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cm-vee/csca-ecve/2008/fs-am/index-eng.php
Toth, S., & Gravener, J. (2012). Review: Bridging research and practice: Relational interventions for maltreated children. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 17, (3), 131-138.
Van der Kolk, B. (2005). Developmental trauma disorder: towards a rational diagnosis for chronically traumatized children. Psychiatric Annals, 35, (5), 401-408.

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