ABSTRACT

The central focus of the Building Blocks Program is to increase the mentalizing capacity of high-risk birth mothers whose young children under the age of five have been placed in foster care. In Building Blocks, therapists are trained to provide dyadic psychotherapy with a birth mother and her child during court-mandated supervised visits, with the aim of reducing cycles of trauma, abuse and neglect, and facilitating a more secure attachment. The program is psychoanalytically informed, grounded in theories of attachment, mentalization and reflective functioning. On March 14, 2020, due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, it became clear that the birth parents could no longer safely visit with their children in person. In addition, court hearings that might have allowed the retention of parental rights were postponed, leaving many parents devastated. In this paper, we first describe how we adapted the Building Blocks approach during the pandemic. Second, two case examples are presented that highlight the pre-pandemic work of Building Blocks, as well as the innovative and creative ways the treatment model was adapted when it became unsafe to conduct dyadic therapy at the clinic. Using virtual video platforms, the Building Blocks Program has applied the model of ‘Nested Mentalization,’ providing support and scaffolding for the therapists, parents and children.

摘要

积木计划的核心重点是提高五岁以下幼儿被寄养的高危亲生母亲的心理承受能力。在 Building Blocks 中，治疗师接受过培训，可以在法院强制监督访问期间为生母和她的孩子提供二元心理治疗，目的是减少创伤、虐待和忽视的循环，并促进更安全的依恋。该计划以精神分析为基础，以依恋、心智化和反思功能理论为基础。2020 年 3 月 14 日，由于冠状病毒的迅速传播，很明显，亲生父母无法再安全地亲自探望孩子。此外，可能允许保留父母权利的法庭听证会被推迟，让很多家长心灰意冷。在本文中，我们首先描述了在大流行期间我们如何调整构建块方法。其次，介绍了两个案例，重点介绍了 Building Blocks 的大流行前工作，以及在诊所进行二元治疗变得不安全时调整治疗模式的创新和创造性方法。使用虚拟视频平台，积木计划应用了“嵌套心理化”的模型，为治疗师、父母和孩子提供支持和脚手架。以及当在诊所进行二元治疗变得不安全时，治疗模式被调整的创新和创造性方式。使用虚拟视频平台，积木计划应用了“嵌套心理化”的模型，为治疗师、父母和孩子提供支持和脚手架。以及当在诊所进行二元治疗变得不安全时，治疗模式被调整的创新和创造性方式。使用虚拟视频平台，积木计划应用了“嵌套心理化”的模型，为治疗师、父母和孩子提供支持和脚手架。