Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
Supports family strengths and relationships
Helps families heal and grow after stressful experiences
Respects family and cultural values
The research shows that working with the relationship that the child has with the parent of a child that has experienced these types of events provides the most optimal outcome for the child.
Our group practice has decided to start offering Child-Parent Psychotherapy in 2025 because of the supporting research that demonstrates the effectiveness of CPP. The program was developed at the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California San Franscisco. Treatment takes into account research literature regarding attachment, human development, trauma, psychodynamic, learning and cognitive behavioral theories. Since CPP was developed in 1996, there have been several research studies conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in helping children over come various early childhood challenges.
An important part of CPP is the parent or care giver’s participation. It is through this dynamic interaction between the child and care giver that the child is able to heal.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The primary underlying assumption about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is that our thoughts and beliefs, emotional experiences and behaviors all interact to shape how we function in the world.
By changing how we think, our emotions and behaviors we are able to create a future self that we want. For example, if you want a successful career than how would you need to think, behave and feel to be successful? The concept is simple enough change how you think, feel and behave. The problem arises in implementing this basic principle because of our neurobiology, unconscious beliefs and habit patterns.
Our CBT treatment is informed by what we know from the research literature. We take into account research about neurobiology, learning, and behavior modification to guide our clients through the process of change. Neuropsychologists have informed us that 90-95% of our behaviors are derived from programs that we have running in the background. In other words, we habitually behave in ways that feel like we are making choices but the reality is we have wired our brains to respond in particular ways to our external environment. If most of our behaviors are preprograms that are below our conscious awareness then how can we possibly change something that we are not aware of? CBT can help increase our awareness. Once we are aware then change is possible.
At Análaigh Heals we help people increase awareness and we use effective strategies to help people rewire their neuro circuits to overcome habitual (programmed) ways of being, thinking and feeling. We understand how to do this because we apply what we know from research about neurobiology. Hebbian theory teaches us that neurons that fire together wire together. We believe that this is at the core of most behaviors, emotional states, and thinking. To create lasting change, we work with our clients to rewire their neuro circuits. CBT that only addresses the manifested behaviors fails to address the underlying cause which is our neurobiology. When we change our neuro circuits then we experience lasting change.