Child-Parent Psychotherapy: Reconnecting Liberian Mothers and Children after War Trauma
In the Hugo Award-winning short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” author Ursula Le Guin writes, “To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one” (Le Guin). This idea can be paralleled to the ongoing issue of how trauma affects the brain and how trauma in a mother and child’s life can cause a break in their relationship. Trauma victims, especially mothers and children often times do not seek help in order not to disrupt the happiness of the people around them. Children living in areas of war and conflict have significantly …show more content…
The primary purpose of CPP is to support and strengthen the relationship between a child and his or her parent. By repairing the relationship between the parent and child, it repairs the child’s sense of safety, attachment, and improves the child’s cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. The age of the child/ developmental status and the type of trauma determines what form of CPP will be used. According to the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, “if the child is an infant, the focus is on helping the parent(s) understand the trauma’s potential impact on development and or functionality. Older children often take an active role in the treatment, which often involves play to facilitate communication between child and parent” (Ippen, …show more content…
Mothers of children ages 0-5 who have faced a traumatic experience could be eligible for CPP in Liberia. For children, CPP would address, “exposure to trauma, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and/or symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Ippen, “The California Evidence). For mothers CPP would address, “negative attributions about the child, problems in the parent-child relationship, and maladaptive parenting strategies. In addition, when appropriate, the program targets parental symptoms including PTSD symptoms (avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal), depression, and anxiety” (Ippen, “The California Evidence”). The recommended parameters for a CPP session for mothers and children in Liberia would be a recommended intensity of 1-1.5 hours a week for a duration of one year. A delivery session for CPP is recommended to be given in an adoptive home, birth family home, community agency, foster/kinship care, outpatient clinic, or school. As of today, CPP does not have materials available in a language other than English, materials could be translated as needed by individual countries using the
In the Hugo Award-winning short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” author Ursula Le Guin writes, “To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of the happiness of one” (Le Guin). This idea can be paralleled to the ongoing issue of how trauma affects the brain and how trauma in a mother and child’s life can cause a break in their relationship. Trauma victims, especially mothers and children often times do not seek help in order not to disrupt the happiness of the people around them. Children living in areas of war and conflict have significantly …show more content…
The primary purpose of CPP is to support and strengthen the relationship between a child and his or her parent. By repairing the relationship between the parent and child, it repairs the child’s sense of safety, attachment, and improves the child’s cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. The age of the child/ developmental status and the type of trauma determines what form of CPP will be used. According to the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, “if the child is an infant, the focus is on helping the parent(s) understand the trauma’s potential impact on development and or functionality. Older children often take an active role in the treatment, which often involves play to facilitate communication between child and parent” (Ippen, …show more content…
Mothers of children ages 0-5 who have faced a traumatic experience could be eligible for CPP in Liberia. For children, CPP would address, “exposure to trauma, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and/or symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)” (Ippen, “The California Evidence). For mothers CPP would address, “negative attributions about the child, problems in the parent-child relationship, and maladaptive parenting strategies. In addition, when appropriate, the program targets parental symptoms including PTSD symptoms (avoidance, intrusion, and hyperarousal), depression, and anxiety” (Ippen, “The California Evidence”). The recommended parameters for a CPP session for mothers and children in Liberia would be a recommended intensity of 1-1.5 hours a week for a duration of one year. A delivery session for CPP is recommended to be given in an adoptive home, birth family home, community agency, foster/kinship care, outpatient clinic, or school. As of today, CPP does not have materials available in a language other than English, materials could be translated as needed by individual countries using the