Abstract
A thorough assessment of the child and his family forms the foundation on which adequate understanding and effective intervention are based. Without this foundation, therapy proceeds blindly.
Doreen was a sixteen-year-old girl referred for intensive psychotherapy by her children’s aid society worker after the treatment centre where she had been resident closed unexpectedly. The current problems were failure at school, lack of confidence, and a feeling of not belonging. Her life history, which she presented with much psychiatric sophistication, was full of losses, deprivation, and punitive parenting. She appeared to have many serious conflicts, and psychotherapy did indeed seem needed. But, despite her glibness, the examiner began to suspect her understanding and for the first time had her intelligence tested. The result revealed borderline intelligence (IQ 72). This finding resulted in a modified treatment plan including a change from academic school to vocational training, concrete counselling around interpersonal relationships, and support of a placement with an older married sister. At last report, Doreen was happier than ever before, had finished her vocational training, had a job, and was still with her sister.
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Recommended for Further Reading
ALIEN, F. H. Psychotherapy with Children. New York, W. W. Norton 1942. —classic book on the subject.
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Additional Reading
American Psychiatric Association, Committee on Public Information, A Psychiatric Glossary. 4th rev. ed. New York, Basic Books, 1975.
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© 1977 Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Broder, E. (1977). A Guide to the Assessment of the Child and His Family. In: Steinhauer, P.D., Rae-Grant, Q. (eds) Psychological Problems of the Child and His Family. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-81464-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-81464-0_4
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