Infant-Parent and Child-Parent Psychotherapy for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma Prior to Placement with a Foster or Adoptive Family

Trauma in infancy from a variety of sources, including parental abuse, neglectful or inconsistent caregiving, and life-threatening experiences can have long-lasting effects after the child has been placed with a nurturing foster care or adoptive family.   Psychotherapy with infants, toddlers, and young children and their foster or adoptive parents can address the effects of trauma on young children.  It can also have durable positive effects on the child’s capacity to stay regulated and have a more stable sense of self.  Additionally, psychotherapy which pays attention to the experience of the child, as well as the experience of the parent, supports healthy attachment.  This paper will describe such psychotherapeutic treatment, illustrated with clinical vignettes.