Applying child specific knowledge in reflective dialogues: Presentation of an approach

Abstract

The vantage point of this article is the growing body of knowledge about how the child's interaction with its caregivers impacts on later development. With reference to the Transaction Model it is argued that knowledge about child specific and parental premises for developmentally supportive relationships is both applicable and necessary for therapists working with troubled children. The article, furthermore, argues that the parents' understanding of their child's behaviour and developmental characteristics is an obvious target when we face families with troubled children in therapy. The relevance and applicability of three fields of research; attachment, temperament and narrative development is explored and a model for applying knowledge from these fields in a family therapy context using participant observation and reflecting dialogues is presented.

Ties of silence - Family lived experience of selective mutism in identical twins

“…During the in-patient treatment, the parents were invited into a position as “co-researchers” in their family’s emotional climate as a part of the therapy. This model of treatment was based upon development of therapeutic goals in co-operation with the parents, participant observation, and reflecting team (Mæhle et al, 2012). This offered the parents alternative ways of thinking, feeling, understanding, and responding to their children and their needs.…”

“…After addressing the context, schedule, and agenda for the previous day, the interviewing therapist focuses on the impact of the symptoms and how the family members cope, interact, and interpret each other. For more details about the approach, see Mæhle, Haugen, and Tømmerås (2012). Another therapeutic tool is the use of triangulated conversations, which has been a central concept in family therapy for decades (Bowen, 1978; Minuchin, 1974).…”