Understanding transference in parent guidance

Much has been written about parent guidance in the treatment of young children. However, a neglected area of study is the parents' transference relationship with the child clinician and the extent to which the clinician uses that transference in the treatment of the parents and the child. A second type of transference altogether is that between parent and child: the issues that the parents transfer onto their relationship with the child, which the clinician may observe in the parent work. Although it is widely accepted that such transference issues are an unavoidable aspect of parent guidance work, it is also generally understood that exploring the parents' transference may hinder the treatment of the child and, in certain instances, may even lead to premature termination. A supportive approach that facilitates a working alliance using a combination of information gathering, parent education, guidance, and advice giving is usually recommended to be the most helpful. The author suggests that although support is essential for effective parent guidance, that supportive interventions alone may actually limit therapeutic progress. At those times when a parent's emotional conflicts have contributed to or continue to exacerbate the child's ongoing difficulties, transference interpretations can facilitate changes in both the parent-child relationship and the child's individual treatment. The author proposes that working with the transference in parent. guidance and working supportively need not be understood as mutually exclusive approaches but should instead be viewed as complementary. Two cases are presented to demonstrate this approach to parent guidance.