Effective assessment and early therapeutic engagement are vital in child and family work. In this CPD session, clinical psychologist and author Dr. Ruth Schmidt Neven introduces a clear, relationally-focused framework for assessing and engaging both the child and their parents in the initial stages of therapy.
Using a combined child-parent model, Dr. Schmidt Neven outlines how to use the first two sessions to foster insight, model therapeutic communication, and begin building a meaningful therapeutic alliance that supports ongoing connection within the family system.
The talk includes an accompanying reading: Chapter 4: Practicalities of Therapeutic Communication from her seminal text, Core Principles of Assessment and Therapeutic Communication with Children, Parents and Families (Routledge, 2010)
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this talk, participants will be able to:
Understand the principles behind the combined child-parent model of assessment.
Learn how to structure the first two sessions for optimal therapeutic engagement.
Gain strategies for modelling reflective capacity and insight in both children and parents.
Enhance their therapeutic communication skills with families.
Appreciate the practical application of theory to clinical practice with child-parent dyads.
Parent Alienation Part 1. Defining the Problem