Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)

Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)

Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is for young children from birth through age 5 and their parents/caregivers. CPP supports family strengths and relationships, helps families heal and grow and respects family and cultural values.

What happens during CPP?

Getting to know the child and family:
CPP therapists spend time meeting alone with parents/caregivers to understand the family’s needs and challenges, history and experiences and their strengths and values. If needed, CPP therapists will connect families to resources and services.

Addressing families’ needs
CPP therapists aim to help the child (if old enough to understand) who they are, why they are coming to therapy and what will happen within the therapy sessions. CPP therapy will often involve the therapeutic use of toys because young children show their feelings and thoughts through play. CPP therapists may meet alone with adults. CPP therapists help parents/caregivers and children to understand each other, talk and play about difficult experiences, respond to difficult feelings and behaviors and create a family story that leads to healing.

Benefits of CPP:

For Children

• Improves mood
• Improves and alleviates problem behaviors
• Improves learning capability
• Helps work through trauma and lessens trauma symptoms
• Helps improve the biological stress response (cortisol)

For Parents/Caregivers

• Improves mood
• Alleviates parenting stress
• Helps work through trauma and lessens trauma symptoms
• Helps to build and strengthen the existing partner relationship