The phenomenon of auditory hallucinations in clinical populations of nonpsychotic children is an intriguing and little understood area. To date, investigations in this area have reported on a range of correlates, including family histories of psychiatric illness, family dysfunction, and significant levels of stress in the children themselves. The current study reported on 10 nonpsychotic children drawn from a number of community-based child and family agencies that provide therapeutic outpatient services. Consistent with previous studies, the present study found strong associations with family dysfunction, specifically family break-up, as well as significant levels of anxiety and depression in the presenting children. In addition, half the children reported the presence of imaginary companions. Despite confirmation of some previous findings, many other features of this phenomenon remain unanswered, including the different psychological functions that hallucinations and imaginary companions may serve for emotionally troubled children.
The difficulties associated with conducting valid family therapy research within a clinical practice discourage many potential researchers. This article will describe collaboration between a group of academics, researchers and clinicians who decided to explore the process and efficacy of systemic family therapy conducted within a working private practice. The specific questions we are addressing are, whether the requests clients bring to their first session of therapy can be reliably classified by practitioners, whether these requests change over time, and whether the nature of the request is associated with therapist and client ratings of therapeutic outcome. Additional questions about the form and nature of the therapeutic alliance as experienced by both client and practitioner are also being explored. This paper will map the passage of the work from inception to its current state where over 140 clients are active participants. In doing so attention will be paid to the obstacles encountered: practical, financial and ethical, and the solutions devised to address these.
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