Emotions in Child Psychotherapy. an Integrative Framework

About this book

Emotions are the common ground of child psychotherapy and a therapist's essential means of communication with children. Improved emotional resilience must be the shared therapeutic goal of all those who work with children and families.

In Emotions in Child Psychotherapy, Kenneth Barish presents an integrative framework for child therapy, based on a contemporary understanding of the child's emotional experience. Barish begins with a concise review of recent advances in the psychology and neuroscience of emotions and an analysis of several emotions-interest, shame and pride, anxiety, anger, and sadness-that are essential, but often underappreciated, in therapeutic work with children. Offering an emotion-based perspective on optimal and pathological development in childhood, Barish argues that in pathological development, negative emotions have become malignant and children are locked in vicious cycles of interaction that perpetuate defiance and withdrawal. Based on these principles, Barish presents a comprehensive model for therapeutic work with children and families. He demonstrates how a systematic focus on the child's emotions provides new understandings of all phases of the therapeutic process and effective means of solving persistent clinical problems: how to engage more children in treatment, mitigate the child's resistance, and provide the kind of understanding to children that promotes openness, initiative, and pro-social character development. Finally, Barish offers a set of active therapeutic strategies that will help repair family relationships damaged by frequent anger and resentment, as well as specific techniques to help parents resolve many of the most common challenges of childrearing.

Emotions in Child Psychotherapy includes extensive clinical illustrations and addresses many of the problems faced, at some time, by every child therapist. Both richly informative and highly practical, this book will be value to all students of child therapy and to practicing clinicians of differing theoretical orientations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction: Why Emotion?

PART I: NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDHOOD

1: Emotions and Emotional Development
Emotions: Basic Tenets
Emotion, Need, and "Self"
Representative Emotions: Interest, Shame and Pride, Anxiety, Anger, and Sadness

2: Optimal and Pathological Development: A General Theory
Optimal Development: Resilience and Positive Expectations
How Does Emotional Resilience Develop?

3: Theories of Pathological Development: A Brief Review
Psychoanalytic Theory: The Classical Model
Psychoanalytic Theory: Developmental and Interpersonal Models
Cognitive and Behavioral Models
Emotion Regulation: An Emerging Consensus

4: Psychopathology in Childhood: Malignant and Reparative Processes
A Reparative Perspective
Demoralization
Defiance
Vicious Cycles
The Role of Conflict

PART II: THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS

5: The Therapeutic Process: An Overview
Engagement
Understanding
Essential Diagnostic Questions

6: Therapeutic Engagement
Positive Affects: Theory and Research
Being Heard
Sharings

7: Empathy
The Nature of Empathy
How is Emapthy Expressed in Clinical Work with Children?
The Therapeutic Function of Empathy
Difficulties and Limitations

8: The Problem of Resistance
Historical Review
Childrens' Resistances: Typical Forms
What Can We Do?

9: Child Psychotherapy as a Socializing Process I --Moral Development
Socialization: General Principles
Socialization: Theory and Research
Parental Pride and the Development of Ideals
Emotion and Moral Development
The Socializing Function of Play

10: Child Psychotherapy as a Socializing Process II--Winning and Losing
Losing and Demoralization
Cheating: A Therapeutic Opportunity

PART III: PARENT GUIDANCE

11: Implications for Work with Parents I--Promoting Emotional Health and Resilience
The Goals of Parent Guidance
A Therapeutic Plan for Families
Positive Affect Sharing
Criticism
Repair
Pro-Active Problem Solving
Again, Sharings
A First and Final Principle: Staying Positive

12: Implications for Work with Parents II--Helping Parents with Common Problems of Daily Living
Rules and Limits
Tantrums
Homework
Sleep
Schwartz: The 15-Minute Rule
Television and Electronic Games
At School: A Book of Positives
Epilogue