A manual : establishing healthy mother-child relationships impacted by family violence / Bobby Jo Cochrane

Abstract

The intent of this project is twofold: One, to provide counsellors with an increased understanding of the effects of family violence on children. Two, to provide counsellors with ample treatment suggestions on how to therapeutically facilitate a secure mother-child bond. To begin, the project explores the impact on childhood development when the mother-child attachment is negatively affected due to the mother experiencing family violence. Next, filial therapy is presented as a treatment intervention to support the development of a secure attachment. The project concludes by presenting a resource composed of six stand alone filial therapy sessions for counsellors who wish to help mothers repair/enhance their relationship with their child. Although the session focus is on the mother-child relationship, many of the activities suggested may also be relevant for father-child attachment work. The limitations and strengths of the project as well as recommendations for future research are also addressed.