This classic text offers an in-depth examination of major issues in child psychotherapy and highlights frequently encountered challenges in working with children and parents. Basic concepts of adult dynamic psychotherapy--such as the therapeutic alliance, resistance, transference and countertransference, and insight--are redefined and adapted to the special requirements of therapy with 4- to 12-year-olds. Readers are guided through a number of cases as treatment unfolds, gaining insight into all of the attendant problems, strategies, and opportunities. Yielding unique insights into the emotional and cognitive world of the child, the volume presents effective treatment strategies for a wide range of clinical problems. New chapters in the second edition provide step-by-step coverage of two major cases, from intake through termination. Key Features: * Unusually detailed clinical material includes six complete cases. * Second edition includes two cases presented in step-by-step detail, including the therapist's attendant thoughts and concerns, as well as updated chapter on play. * Material presented is psychodynamically based, but very clear and accessible. * An ideal student text or professional reference. * Now available in paper for the first time. Table of Contents I. Introduction to Child Therapy 1. General Characteristics of the Child Patient 2. The Process of Assessment and Its Role in the Treatment Process 3. The Central Role of Play II. Work with Parents 4. Parent Guidance and Transference Parenting 5. Treatment of the Parent-Child Relationship III. The Process of Treatment: The Fundamentals 6. Treatment of the Neurotic Child 7. Treatment of Character Pathology 8. Treatment of the Borderline Child 9. Treatment of the Narcissistically Disturbed Child 10. Focal Psychotherapy IV. The Process of Treatment: An Elaboration 11. The Case of Andy 12. The Case of Margaret "In an age when child treatment often consists of an expedient pharmacological 'cure,' [this book] is a breath of fresh air. The merits of Chethik's dynamic approach are many, including the significance he imputes to thorough diagnostic evaluation and his emphasis on the importance of the parental alliance. Also noteworthy are the book's detailed presentations of treatment process and its discussion of more challenging cases involving severe character pathology....Can be recommended unreservedly to novice and more experienced clinicians alike." -Jerrold R. Brandell, PhD, BCD "Lengthy and rich case presentations include the therapist's reflections, informing the reader about the clinician's feelings, hunches, and countertransference responses. This rare account of the essence of therapy makes this text a 'must' for all practitioners dealing with children, be they student social workers, child fellows, psychology interns, or more advanced practitioners." -Judith Mishne, DSW "This book will be welcomed by teachers and students of child psychotherapy, both in graduate training programs and in the extension courses offered by many institutes. Chethik describes what goes into careful biopsychosocial assessment of presenting problems, and clarifies the ways in which treatment subsequently draws on that diagnostic frame. Not only does this author offer unusually rich details about beginnings, middles, and endings in play therapy with children, but he also includes the collateral and often less emphasized work with their parents at these different stages." -Jean Sanville, PhD from the publisher's website |