ABSTRACT

The urgency to implement distance-based methods to provide ongoing mental health care during the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic represents a critical shift in treatment delivery for children, youth, and families. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional strain on the mental health of families and children. As a result, there is an increased need for brief, family-based interventions. Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) is an empirically-supported intervention targeting caregivers of children with mental health challenges. The EFFT group therapy modality typically involves thirty caregivers who participate in a two-day intensive workshop, serving as a brief yet efficient intervention with enduring impact. Based on experiences within our clinic, this article provides practical intervention strategies to address common challenges therapists may contend with while providing EFFT intervention to caregivers and families through a secure videoconferencing platform. Additional research in distance-based mental health care for children and their caregivers can assess effectiveness, efficiency and improved access to mental health care throughout the pandemic.

摘要

在新型冠状病毒 (COVID-19) 大流行期间实施基于距离的方法以提供持续的精神卫生保健的紧迫性代表了儿童、青少年和家庭治疗提供的关键转变。COVID-19 大流行给家庭和儿童的心理健康带来了额外的压力。因此，对简短的、以家庭为基础的干预措施的需求增加。以情绪为中心的家庭治疗 (EFFT) 是一种经验支持的干预措施，针对有心理健康挑战的儿童的照顾者。EFFT 团体治疗模式通常涉及 30 名护理人员，他们参加为期两天的密集研讨会，作为一种简短而有效的干预，具有持久的影响。根据我们诊所的经验，本文提供了实用的干预策略，以解决治疗师在通过安全的视频会议平台向护理人员和家庭提供 EFFT 干预时可能面临的常见挑战。针对儿童及其照顾者的远程心理保健的进一步研究可以评估整个大流行期间的有效性、效率和改善获得心理保健的机会。