Child Psychotherapy in a Paediatric Out-Patient Setting

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Child Psychotherapy in a Paediatric Out-Patient Setting: How can a Brief Intervention Service contribute to the assessment of Under 5's?

  • IRAS ID

    238801

  • Contact name

    Elizabeth Stockwell

  • Contact email

    elizabeth.stockwell@nelft.nhs.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of East London (UEL)

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    The aim of the research study is to evaluate the contribution that a routine brief Child Psychotherapy intervention may make to the paediatric assessment of children aged five and under who are currently being assessed by a Community Paediatrician regarding a possible developmental diagnosis.

    Brief child psychotherapy is a routine intervention of up to five clinical appointments offered to the referred child and their Primary Caregiver by a Child Psychotherapist. The aim of the routine intervention is to provide a psychoanalytic perspective on the referred child's difficulties and behaviour through the use of child psychotherapy techniques of clinical observation, in-depth child development knowledge and an understanding of the impact of unconscious processes upon emotional and behavioural development.

    Following completion of the routine brief child psychotherapy intervention, the referring Community Paediatrician will be invited to participate in up to two semi-structured interviews and will be asked what their experience of the possible contribution of the brief child psychotherapy intervention might have towards the paediatric diagnostic assessment of the referred child, and more widely, to other children currently known to the Community Paediatric department. Any divergence or over-lap in clinical opinion between the Chief Investigator and referring Community Paediatrician will be evaluated.

    Data regarding the referred child, to include basic data regarding the child's age, gender and presenting difficulties, as well as a sample of clinical process note data from the clinical appointments, will form the research data for this study.

    The study is expected to last twelve months in duration.

  • REC name

    London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    19/LO/0873

  • Date of REC Opinion

    30 Aug 2019

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion