How do children rate their therapist-parents?

A small study has found that the children of people who work in mental health hold their parents? profession in high regard, though they also see some drawbacks.

In the study, Barry A. Farber and associates interviewed 20 children (7 boys and 13 girls) to find out what they thought of their relationship with their parent(s) and how they felt their parents? occupation affected their relationship. The participants ranged in age from 10 to 18 and lived in the New York metropolitan area. The parents? jobs included positions in psychotherapy, psychology, psychiatry and social work.

The researchers found that the children viewed their parents? clinical knowledge as the greatest asset, saying they could rely on their parents? objectivity and expert opinions. However, further questioning revealed some children believe there are downsides to having therapist parents. The children mentioned rare occasions when parents 'cannot leave the therapist at the office,' especially the moments children ask for advice.

Other concerns included that parents can seem too intellectual and distant when talking in psychological jargon, and some children felt as if they were being treated like clients. The children also noted that parents occasionally overanalyze the hidden emotions of how an event made the child feel. Children also listed parents? long work schedules and the intrusion of patients calling after hours as other sources of problems.

In spite of these drawbacks, the children in this study said parents? therapy training outweighed the disadvantages. Children viewed parents with professional training as more understanding, accepting and tolerant than without it.

From the results, Farber concluded that clinical training alone does not produce good or bad effects on children, but how a parent uses his/her psychotherapy education makes the difference. When used appropriately, therapist training can enhance parenting skills, but random application of psychological techniques may cause resentment.

Farber cautions that the results need further investigation because this study suffers from several limitations: small number of participants, geographical restrictions and lack of a control group. Also, the study does not factor in the child?s temperament and disposition. Despite these shortcomings, Farber and associates hope to replicate the results in further studies.

Farber?s findings were originally published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 1?5).

?M. Waters