Child Psychotherapy Research, Evidence Base and Publications
What does the research tell us about child psychotherapy?
A growing body of research has demonstrated the efficacy of psychotherapy in treating children and adolescents with mild to complex mental health issues. The research shows that psychotherapy is effective in treating various emotional and mental health issues in children and young people, notably, depression, anxiety, behavioural disorders, eating disorders, and developmental concerns. There is evidence of good outcomes for helping girls who have been sexually abused and children who have suffered deprivation and neglect.
See: Abbas A. et al. (2013) Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents: a Meta-Analysis of Short-Term Psychodynamic Models, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2013 Aug;52(8):863-75
Barlow J. et al. (2016) Parent-Infant Psychotherapy: a Systematic Review of the Evidence for Improving Parental and Infant Mental Health, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 34, 5, 464-482
Is there an evidence base for psychotherapy with children and young people?
Yes. A number of systematic reviews demonstrating the effectiveness of psychotherapy with children and adolescents have been published, the most recent of which was commissioned by the Association of Child Psychotherapists and can be read here.
Research shows that improvements in mental health are long-term, with adults who had psychotherapy as children continuing to feel the impact of this many years later after the treatment has ended. This contrasts with other, brief forms of therapy that focus on only alleviating symptoms.
See: Trowell, J. Joffe, I. Campbell, J. et al. (2007) Childhood Depression: A Place for Psychotherapy, European Child Adolescent Psychiatry (2007) 16: 157
Publications
A number of books have been published that highlight the effectiveness of child psychotherapy. The most recent of these collected papers, 'Essential Research Findings in Child and Adolescent Counselling and Psychotherapy' (2017), can be found here.
A recent collection of papers written by Tavistock trained child psychotherapists provides an invaluable contribution to child psychoanalytic research based on their experience working with children in the clinical consulting room. These papers are based on the authors' psychoanalytic clinical and observational practices and the application of rigorous qualitative research methods. Click here where you can find the publication of these collected papers, 'New Discoveries in Child Psychotherapy: Findings from Qualitative Research' (2019).