Psychoanalytic psychotherapy in paediatric liaison: a diagnostic and therapeutic tool

Abstract

Paediatric liaison work requires an appreciation of the interweaving of the different factors involved when a child has physical symptoms. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is usually viewed simply as a potential treatment option. This paper argues that its use is both therapeutic and diagnostic and that it should be valued for this breadth of contribution. The therapeutic process is conducted in a way that can promote an understanding of the child and their context and thus enhance the ability to meet the child's needs by all involved in their care. This can be achieved without sacri cing the degree of privacy that the psychotherapist/patient relationship requires. Material is presented from the psychotherapy of a child who had an hereditary condition which moved unexpectedly into a terminal phase after psychotherapy was started. Examples are given to illustrate the importance of the understanding gained from therapy and how, through an integrative process, it was used to assist the overall care. The material also describes the potential diagnostic use of information from psychotherapy when this is formulated by consideration of conscious and unconscious mechanisms alongside mental state phenomenology. This has implications for the relationships between disciplines and for their training requirements.

The psychotherapy of parenthood: towards a formulation and valuation of concurrent work with parents

“…The increased understanding of the child arising from psychotherapy may assist parents and other professionals in understanding the child and enhance their care of the child (Sutton, 2002). The impact of therapy on the child's internal world may enable the child to make better use of this care.…”