A psychotherapeutic approach to silent children

This paper presents through clinical material a practical conceptual framework in the treatment of silent, nonproductive children. Based on systems theory, the therapist is encouraged to routinely take an inclusive view of the child and his world and make a focused evaluation of the meaning of this resistance at several different levels: (a) the greater, nonfamilial social system, (b) the family system, (c) the dyadic relationship with the therapist, and (d) the intrapsychic economy.