The parent-child-therapist alliance: A case study using a strategic approach

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Family Therapy
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Background:

• The therapeutic alliance is fundamental to successful psychotherapy outcomes.
• Research extensively covers alliance-building in adult therapy but less so for children and adolescents within family contexts.
• There is a need for specific strategies addressing the therapeutic alliance in child and family interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel, three-phase clinical approach for psychotherapy with parents and children.
• To highlight the significance of establishing strong therapeutic alliances with both children and parents.
• To illustrate the application of this strategy in a case study involving a mother and adolescent daughter.

Main Methods:

• A single case study methodology was employed.
• The approach involves initially addressing individual parent and child concerns separately to build rapport.
• Subsequently, the strategy focuses on resolving issues within the parent-child dyad, leveraging established alliances.

Main Results:

• The proposed three-phase strategy effectively facilitated alliance-building with both the adolescent and the mother.
• The approach enabled the therapeutic work to progress from individual concerns to dyadic issues.
• The case study demonstrates the practical application and potential efficacy of the proposed strategy.

Conclusions:

• A structured, three-phase alliance-building strategy can be effectively applied in psychotherapy with children and parents.
• Prioritizing the therapeutic alliance with individuals is key to addressing complex family dynamics.
• This approach offers a valuable framework for clinicians working with pediatric and family populations.