A Mentalization-Based Treatment Approach to Caring for Youth in Foster Care

Abstract

Children and adolescents in foster care settings are at risk for development of emotional and behavioral problems due to a history of traumatic experiences combined with constant changes in their living environment with frequent shifts in caregivers, creating challenges in forming secure attachments. There has been a wealth of research evidence highlighting the importance of secure attachments in promoting the development of healthy mentalization abilities (Fonagy et al., 1991; Fonagy & Target, 2006), which facilitate the processing of traumatic experiences (Sharp, Fonagy, & Allen, 2013). Mentalization is the ability to think about and interpret self and others in terms of mental states (Luyten & Fonagy, 2009). Given the established link between traumatic experiences including child maltreatment with impaired mentalization abilities (Allen, 2013; Fonagy & Luyten, 2009; Ensink et al., 2014a; Ensink et al., 2014b), a mentalization-based approach to the treatment and care of youth is important to implement in foster care settings. This paper provides an outline and description of a mentalization-based treatment approach along with several clinical tools for caregivers and staff members to implement in the treatment and care of youth in foster care settings.