18. The Role of Developmental Stages in Child Therapy

In today's episode, Brenda shares her experience working with children in therapy and how understanding child development can make therapy more effective. Measuring progress with kids can be tricky, as they often can’t express how they feel or recognize changes. What may look like simple play can actually be therapeutic when approached with the right understanding of where the child is developmentally. Brenda takes a developmental approach, emphasizing that emotional and psychological growth in children isn’t as easily defined as physical growth. Trauma can disrupt development, so it’s crucial to observe behaviors within the context of the child’s age and experiences. Brenda walks listeners through Erik Erikson’s eight-stage model of psychological development, explaining how these stages offer a roadmap for understanding where children should be emotionally and psychologically at different ages. By using this model, Brenda helps ensure that therapy stays aligned with a child’s needs and developmental goals, offering a framework for both parents and therapists to understand progress more clearly. Through these models therapists can help children grow emotionally and mentally at their own pace, ensuring therapy truly supports their long-term well-being. References Mentioned in this Episode: Anna Freud. (1946). The Psycho-Analytical Treatment of Children. New York, NY: International Univ. Press. Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development referenced in Freud and Beyond: A History of Modern Psychoanalytic Thought by Mitchell & Black (1995)