Special Challenges Facing Child Psychotherapists

Abstract

This article is in three parts. First, it summarizes the essential features of child-centered family treatment: facilitating parental empathy, selfobject functions, and the impact of cultural changes in the symptomatic child’s emotional environment. The second part is a discussion of the difficulties related to the application of these theoretical principles. The third part consists of the discussion of two clinical examples by Taly Hochstadter and Christa Paulinz.

Keywords:

• cultural influences
• integration
• parental empathy
• psychopathology
• selfobject functions

Notes

¹ Selfobject functions are unconscious processes by which the presence, action, or expression of an “other” enlivens, stabilizes, or restores self experience. Selfobject responses are needed throughout life for the maintenance of optimal functioning of the self. During development, selfobject functions (mirroring and merger) have psychological structure building properties.

² A group of people responsible for the child’s care; even when mothers and fathers are physically and emotionally available, they are only members of a group of people who are intimately involved in a child’s life.

³ I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss this case treated by Taly Hochstadter.

⁴ I am thankful to Christa Paulinz for the privilege of discussing the treatment of Adrian.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anna Ornstein

Anna Ornstein, MD, is a Professor Emerita of Child Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati, a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard University, and a Training and Supervising Analyst at Boston Psychoanalytic, Cincinnati Psychoanalytic, Massachusetts Institute for Psychoanalysis, and at the Institute of the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity.