RE: Holding Time for Troubled Kids by Susan Kuchinskas, April 2, 2007 (American Chronicle)
Letters to the Editor
April 04, 2007
While I appreciate Susan Kuchinskas’ attempt to discuss the importance of developing healthy attachment relationship between child and parent, she does your readers a disservice by incorrectly linking the proven technique of Theraplay to “Holding Time”. For unknown reasons, following a lengthy discussion of Martha Welch and Holding Time, the article concludes with a link to Theraplay, implying that this is a source for more information on the subject and implicitly linking Theraplay to the Holding Time technique.
While both modalities seek to develop attachment, they go about it in vastly different ways. Theraplay is a 38 year old, world-wide proven therapeutic method. As the training director of Theraplay and a practitioner who has treated scores of children and instructed hundreds of therapists, I feel compelled to set the record straight. Theraplay most certainly does not “have much in common” with holding time. Whereas Holding Time, as Kuchinskas states, the parent restrains the child”, “gets the child’s adrenaline going”, elicits the “expression of rage, fear or sorrow” and allows the parent to express her “pent-up aggression”, Theraplay does not employ these techniques. To the contrary, certified Theraplay therapists are explicitly taught never to restrain the child unless the child is in danger of hurting himself or others. Furthermore, therapist and parent do not voice their anger towards the child’s behaviors; rather, the adult maintains a positive and confident attitude that transmits a message of trust and caring. In fact, keeping a positive and nurturing attitude is the cardinal rule of Theraplay. Furthermore, while Holding Time instigates and maintains an emotional intensity that most traumatized children can not handle all at once, Theraplay tailors the intervention to suit the child’s capacity to tolerate emotional closeness, thereby avoiding overwhelming and further traumatizing the child.
The field of attachment therapy is complex and radically different modalities attempt to position themselves under the umbrella of attachment. Parents and readers are advised to carefully research the competing therapies and seek the advice of trained therapists in determining what, if any, attachment therapy might be right for their child. For information about Theraplay, please visit www.theraplay.org
Dafna Lender, LCSW
Training Director
The Theraplay Institute
While both modalities seek to develop attachment, they go about it in vastly different ways. Theraplay is a 38 year old, world-wide proven therapeutic method. As the training director of Theraplay and a practitioner who has treated scores of children and instructed hundreds of therapists, I feel compelled to set the record straight. Theraplay most certainly does not “have much in common” with holding time. Whereas Holding Time, as Kuchinskas states, the parent restrains the child”, “gets the child’s adrenaline going”, elicits the “expression of rage, fear or sorrow” and allows the parent to express her “pent-up aggression”, Theraplay does not employ these techniques. To the contrary, certified Theraplay therapists are explicitly taught never to restrain the child unless the child is in danger of hurting himself or others. Furthermore, therapist and parent do not voice their anger towards the child’s behaviors; rather, the adult maintains a positive and confident attitude that transmits a message of trust and caring. In fact, keeping a positive and nurturing attitude is the cardinal rule of Theraplay. Furthermore, while Holding Time instigates and maintains an emotional intensity that most traumatized children can not handle all at once, Theraplay tailors the intervention to suit the child’s capacity to tolerate emotional closeness, thereby avoiding overwhelming and further traumatizing the child.
The field of attachment therapy is complex and radically different modalities attempt to position themselves under the umbrella of attachment. Parents and readers are advised to carefully research the competing therapies and seek the advice of trained therapists in determining what, if any, attachment therapy might be right for their child. For information about Theraplay, please visit www.theraplay.org
Dafna Lender, LCSW
Training Director
The Theraplay Institute
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