Video Feedback and the Impact of Multiple Therapists

Abstract

In the field of parent-infant therapy, psychoanalytically informed video feedback has been applied as a dyadic intervention for more than 15 years by Daniel Stern, Beatraice Beebe, and others. Expanding upon this approach with women who were pregnant and widowed in the Project for Mothers, Infants, and Young Children of September 11, 2001, we learned that a collaborative method with a team of therapists enhanced our efficacy. This approach provides a multidimensional lens through which different therapists can understand what is on the minds of both mothers and children, fostering an increased sensitivity to their vulnerabilities and strengths. A visit to the lab is followed by a two-hour video feedback session in which team members take on predictable roles to enable the mother to develop a transference to the group as the agent of change. This approach includes cultivating an observing ego, securing a therapeutic alliance while minimizing shame and avoiding potential ruptures, integrating past and present, and emphasizing positive moments to enhance each mother's self-esteem while normalizing, empowering and consolidating gains.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Rachel Altstein and Dr. Mark Sossin for their help in this article.