Parent-child therapy and maternal projections: tripartite psychotherapy--a new look

Tripartite psychotherapy--where the mother and child are treated together by the therapist--is underutilized as a valuable form of child psychotherapy. Here, a preliminary discussion is based on clinical observations within a brief historical context. Illustrative case examples are offered to exemplify what actually occurs between the mother, child, and therapist in session. This treatment approach is traditionally applied to work with babies and very young children. A basic premise of classical tripartite therapy holds that the presence of the infant in treatment evokes strong transference phenomena in the parent, thus offering direct and immediate intervention within the mother-child relationship. Here, the author stretches the boundaries to extend the age range to older, latency-age children who, within the attachment relationship, may be enacting negative maternal projections.