“Why Won't My Parents Help Me?”: Therapeutic Assessment of a Child and Her Family

Abstract

We present a case study of a child's psychological assessment using the methods of Therapeutic Assessment (TA). The case illustrates how TA can help assessors understand the process and structure of a family by highlighting how maladaptive family processes and interactions impact a child's development. It also illustrates how TA with a child can serve as a family intervention. In this case, it became apparent that the child's social difficulties were significant, not minor as initially reported by the parents, and were rooted in an insecure attachment, underlying depression, an idiosyncratic view of the world, and longing for attention, all of which were hidden or expressed in grandiose, expansive, and off-putting behaviors. In addition, the familial hierarchy was inverted; the parents felt ineffective and the child felt too powerful, leading to enhanced anxiety for the child. Intervention throughout, punctuated by the family session and feedback sessions, allowed the parents to develop a new “story” about their child and for the child to experience a new sense of safety. Following the TA, the parents and child indicated high satisfaction, enhanced family functioning, and decreased child symptomatology. Subsequent family therapy sessions allowed the family to further implement the interventions introduced in the TA.

Notes

¹ All names have been changed to protect client confidentiality.

² A sample information sheet such as might be used in clinical practice is available from S. E. Finn at [email protected].

³ In TA, assessors are encouraged to begin early testing sessions with those tests that clearly reflect the major presenting concerns of the client. It is believed that this practice lowers clients' anxiety and reassures them that their agendas are those guiding the assessment process (Finn, 2007).