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Note to Parents & Fellow Clinicians Our therapeutic approach is grounded in the understanding that every person has an inner life that impacts and is impacted by interactions with others in the environment. We see personality development as occurring within the context of close relationships and involving mastery of developmental conflicts, particularly during the first five years of life. For over 50 years we have studied the way this occurs, what can cause interferences in development, and what can be done to help children resume progressive development. When working with children in therapy, we help them become more aware of their feelings by identifying the ways in which their maladaptive behaviors protect them from uncomfortable feelings. As children become more able to know their feelings, we help them sort out whether their feelings are related to current situations or are repetitions of earlier difficulties. This sorting out is accomplished in the context of a trusting relationship between therapist and child. Our work with children tends to take place over many months or even years. We work closely with parents while respecting the child’s need for privacy. The pace of the work is set by the child and we are respectful of the child’s need to maintain defense mechanisms until they can be surrendered. Therefore, work is patient and respectfully collaborative, with a focus on the lifelong outcomes. Where other treatment modalities focus on the alleviation of a single symptom in a short amount of time, our goal is to help manage interferences and restore progressive personality development over time. Hanna Perkins is unique in its value of continuing professional education. All of our clinicians participate in ongoing training and mentorship in child development and the psychoanalytic process. |
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ddewalt@hannaperkins.org with
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