Triadic Model for Working with Parents in Child Therapy Settings

Abstract

Child therapists face challenges regarding whether they should meet needs of not only their child-clients but needs of the parents of their clients. Their difficulties arise from the fact that although they are specialized in counseling children, the majority of them lack proper training in or education on working with parents (Lolan, 2011). Given parents are the immediate environment and significant figures in children’s development, handling and guiding parents effectively through parent involvement is essential in promoting children’s therapeutic processes. Unfortunately, child practitioners are left without clear articulation or guidance on how to manage parents (Nock & Ferriter, 2005). To fulfil this unmet need, this paper introduces a conceptual framework that maps out role-performances of child practitioners when engaging parents in child therapy processes by applying Bernard’s Discrimination Model. Within this conceptualization, therapists fulfill roles as teachers, counselors, and consultants in accordance with those in the Discrimination Model. Considerations for parent involvement are discussed and recommendations for child practitioners using the Discrimination Model in parent involvement, particularly for beginning counselors, are highlighted.

Keywords: working with parents, parent involvement, parent engagement, parent consultation, play therapy, parent involvement model