Deliberate Practice in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy

Jordan Bate, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. She teaches family and child psychotherapy courses, coleads the psychodynamic psychotherapy practicum, and runs the Attachment & Psychotherapy Process Research Lab. Her research centers on understanding therapeutic processes through attachment theory and on the effectiveness of clinical training, including deliberate practice. Dr. Bate is a trainer and supervisor in mentalization-based treatment for children (MBT-C) and President of Section 2 (Childhood and Adolescence) of APA Division 39 (Psychoanalysis). She maintains a private practice in Manhattan, New York working with patients across the lifespan.   Tracy A. Prout, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. She teaches evidence-based psychodynamic psychotherapy in the School-Clinical Child Combined Doctoral Program, supervises advanced graduate students in the psychodynamic psychotherapy practicum, and leads the psychodynamic psychotherapy lab at Ferkauf. Dr. Prout is principal investigator for several studies related to Regulation Focused Psychotherapy for Children (RFP-C) and supervises all graduate research assistants who work on these projects. Dr. Prout coleads IMPACT Psychological Services, an integrative, group private practice, with locations in Beacon and Mamaroneck, New York serving children, teens, families and adults.   Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD, is program director of the Sentio Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program, and executive director of the Sentio Counseling Center. He has authored many books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training and is coeditor of the book series The Essentials of Deliberate Practice(APA Books). In 2017, Dr. Rousmaniere published the widely cited article in The Atlantic Monthly, “What Your Therapist Doesn’t Know.” Dr. Rousmaniere supports the open-data movement and publishes clinical outcome data at drtonyr.com. He is president of Division 29 of APA.   Alexandre Vaz, PhD, is director of training at the Sentio Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program and Sentio Counseling Center. He has authored many books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training and is coeditor of the book series The Essentials of Deliberate Practice (APA Books). Dr. Vaz has held multiple committee roles for the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) and the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR). He is founder and host of “Psychotherapy Expert Talks,” an acclaimed interview series with distinguished psychotherapists and researchers.

Series Preface
Tony Rousmaniere and Alexandre Vaz

Acknowledgments

Part I. Overview and Instructions
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of Deliberate Practice and Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
Chapter 2. Instructions for the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Deliberate Practice Exercises

Part II. Deliberate Practice Exercises for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills

Exercises for Beginner Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills
Exercise 1. Communicating Interest and Curiosity
Exercise 2. Naming Feelings
Exercise 3. Praise and Encouragement
Exercise 4. Observing and Describing Play

Exercises for Intermediate Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills
Exercise 5. Empathic Validation
Exercise 6. Elaborating Play
Exercise 7. Exploring Identity—Multicultural Orientation
Exercise 8. Self-Disclosure

Exercises for Advanced Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Skills
Exercise 9. Gathering Information About Safety Concerns
Exercise 10. Setting Limits
Exercise 11. Talking About Sex
Exercise 12. Responding to Resistance and Ruptures

Comprehensive Exercises
Exercise 13. Annotated Child Psychotherapy Practice Session Transcripts
Exercise 14. Mock Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Sessions

Part III. Strategies for Enhancing the Deliberate Practice Exercises
Chapter 3. How to Get the Most Out of Deliberate Practice: Additional Guidance for Trainers and Trainees

Appendix A. Difficulty Assessments and Adjustments
Appendix B. Deliberate Practice Diary Form
Appendix C. Sample Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Syllabus With Embedded Deliberate Practice Exercises

References
Index
About the Authors