Child–Parent Psychotherapy: Acknowledging Ruptures in Safety and Rebuilding the Protective Shield

A baby who has undergone serious medical procedures arches away from his mother and refuses to eat. A toddler who experienced a wildfire is more fearful, has sleeping problems, relational difficulties, and frequent tantrums. A father struggles after his daughter was molested at her childcare setting. A child who experienced numerous adverse experiences and multiple placements was recently removed from a foster home due to his aggressive behaviors. Across multiple countries, families like these are supported in returning to a healthy development trajectory through Child–Parent Psychotherapy, an evidence-based treatment attending to family members’ experiences of danger, acknowledging how this may affect their functioning and relationship, and promoting safety, repair, and hope.