Research on therapeutic processes: In psychodynamic psychotherapy with children and adolescents

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the potential usefulness of empirical research on therapeutic processes in child psychodynamic therapy. Contemporary psychodynamic child and adolescent therapy is informed by a rich history of descriptive analyses of therapeutic processes dating from Freud's account of his treatment of Little Hans. Early psychodynamic child therapy emphasized the importance of verbal interpretation of the child's behavior, verbalizations, or play for symptom reduction and improved functioning. The quality of the relationship between child and therapist is central to psychodynamic child therapy and a significant target for process research. The core assumptions and corresponding views on change processes provide a framework for reviewing extant process studies and other research relevant to psychodynamic child therapy. Freud's most enduring insights involved recognition of transferred images, affects, and relational patterns into the therapeutic relationship. Research on psychodynamic therapy with adults has distinguished between these two facets and as such, process research with children and adolescents is likely to benefit from this distinction.