Description |
The relationships that Infants and young children have with their most important caregivers are the crucial context for healthy development as well as the development of psychopathology. The kind and quality of relationships that young children have with each of their caregivers can differ substantially. As such, these relationships are the centerpiece of assessment in infant and early childhood mental health. The Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI), also called the narrative interview, is a clinical interview that assesses how a caregiver perceives, feels, and thinks about his or her child and their relationship. This interview is a well-researched and confirms that internal, subjective aspects of the relationship are critical to understand in order to assess relationship quality and the functioning of the dyad. This information can then be used to build on strengths and intervene with concerns, in order to optimize the relationship between the child and each of their parents or caregivers. In this training, the instructor will present a clinical case over time which will be used to illustrate the diverse ways in which different caregivers think about and understand the same child. This training will demonstrate the importance of understanding each caregiver’s perspectives of their child and themselves as parents towards impacting their child’s development, as well as current and future functioning. Intervening to impact caregiver-child relationships must include attention to this aspect of the relationship so that change can be sustained. Illustrative case and video vignettes will be presented.
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