Abstract
The participation of parents in their children's psychotherapy is a controversial issue in the literature: while some authors agree with a more interventionist approach towards parents, others circumscribe their role in maintaining treatment and providing information about the child. The purpose of this exploratory and cross-sectional survey was to identify experiences of Brazilian child psychotherapists regarding the ways parents are included in the treatment. Participants were 76 psychologists, who responded to an online questionnaire, and the analyzes included descriptive statistics and content analysis. According to the results, respondents were predominantly women (89.5%), living in the southern region (86.8%), between 26 and 35 years old (53.9%), and with up to a 3-year clinical experience (43.4%). In general, the participants included parents in psychotherapy (76.3%), in specific interviews (90.8%), to gather information (88.2%), for advising or guidance (72.4%), and to strengthen the therapeutic alliance (61.8%). Risks and benefits of parents’ involvement were reported and classified into six categories: the child as a symptom of the family conflicts, parental resistance to psychotherapy and change, parental contract compliance, therapeutic alliance, understanding of family dynamics and the child's symptoms, and strengthening parent-child bonds. We conclude that there is a tendency among psychotherapists to include parents in the children's psychotherapy process.
Keywords
Psychoanalytic Therapy; Psychotherapy; Childhood; Parents-and-kids relationships