“Imagination for Two” Child Psychotherapy during Coronavirus Outbreak: Building a Space for Play When Space Collapses

Abstract

Alvarez and Reid in the introduction to their book "Autism and Personality" suggest that in the absence of play the therapist's own resources are frequently the only means available to bring into being liveliness, creativity, and play in the child patient's inner world. Reid writes: "The therapist must have a mind for two, energy for two, hope for two, imagination for two". In the following paper, we discuss the therapeutic work required of the child psychotherapist, in times in which the space of life itself collapses under incessant attack of annihilation anxiety, uncertainty, and a sudden breakdown of all that gives us an experience (or maybe an illusion?) of meaning and continuity. Times in which the possibility to "work and love" collapses as the places where we do "love and work" are closed to us or become partial and lacking.

Theory of Planned Behavior

“…Implementing psychotherapeutic interventions requires the use of nonverbal communication skills and the creation of therapeutic alliances that may not be easily achieved remotely/digitally (Carper et al, 2013;Kaiser et al, 2018;Schröder et al, 2017). Findings from previous studies also revealed that digital therapy makes it difficult for therapists to express empathy and build a good therapeutic alliance (Rigabert et al, 2018;Shulman and Shruf, 2020).…”

“…Furthermore, studies have also suggested that digital interventions create a feeling of being limited in what one can express. Without the ability to express, for instance, empathy, a good therapeutic work alliance cannot be maintained (Cook and Doyle, 2002;Kiluk et al, 2014;Rigabert et al, 2018;Shulman and Shruf, 2020). Other studies have found that MHPs are concerned about using these interventions appropriately.…”

Putting the Gaming Experience at the Center of the Therapy—The Video Game Therapy® Approach

“…Therefore, the therapist’s second responsibility is being available for the patient during play whenever they become more fragile and open to communicating about themselves and their trauma. That is why “the therapist must have a mind for two, energy for two, hope for two, imagination for two” [ 122 ], especially when the space of play risks collapsing under feelings of anxiety and uncertainty [ 123 ]. In fact, the therapeutic relationship serves as an “emotional corrective experience” allowing patients to write and rewrite their stories and dissolve the knots and blocks that impede growth.…”

Revisiting the Experience of Art Therapists and Drama Therapists Working in Schools Two Years after the First Lockdown: A Qualitative Pilot

“…This change required therapists to create or maintain therapeutic relationships with their clients in a format that was foreign to therapists and clients alike. The transition to remote treatment changed the therapeutic setting, where the therapist felt they had less control [3]. In addition, all this occurred at a time when the therapists themselves were facing uncertainty in the shadow of the pandemic as much as their clients did: Isolation and loneliness, financial anxieties, and worries concerning their health and the health of family members, were shared by both [4].…”