Abstract
The present chapter presents an innovative model of community-based, multi-disciplinary collaboration among pediatricians, social workers, and clinical psychologists working together to address the impact of trauma on the physical and mental health of their patients. Early childhood traumatic experiences are profoundly disruptive to the attachment–caregiving system that regulates the Child-parent relationship and that has the function of providing protection and the sense of safety needed to facilitate normal development. Such disruptions, especially those experienced by both caregiver and child, can lead to profound changes in the developmental functioning of the child and result in poor outcomes later in life. There is growing research evidence that trauma-focused psychotherapy addressing the mental health sequelae of early trauma can lead to significant improvements in the child, the caregiver, and the caregiver–child relationship. This chapter includes a brief review of the impact of trauma on the parent–child relationship as well as a discussion of the importance of using a treatment approach informed by attachment theory, psychoanalysis, knowledge about the impact of trauma, and cultural and contextual considerations. A clinical illustration is provided to highlight the advantages of this integrative approach in the unique setting of a community pediatric clinic. The collaboration is dedicated to the trauma-informed integration of physical and psychological care of children and families living in a neighborhood affected by historical trauma as well as current, community and intergenerational violence, poverty, and scarcity of supportive resources. Specific approaches to engaging hard to reach families are explored.
The authors would like to thank Tipping Point Community for the generous support that made the work described in this chapter possible.
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Notes
- 1.
In this case example, names and identifying information have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the patient and family.
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Renschler, T., Lieberman, A., Hernandez Dimmler, M., Burke Harris, N. (2013). Trauma-Focused Child-parent Psychotherapy in a Community Pediatric Clinic: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration. In: Bettmann, J., Demetri Friedman, D. (eds) Attachment-Based Clinical Work with Children and Adolescents. Essential Clinical Social Work Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4848-8_6
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