EDUCATIONAL THERAPY A METHODICAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM OF THE "UNTREATABLE" CHILD

Abstract

Educational therapy is a psycho-therapeutic endeavor aimed at assisting emotionally disturbed children who are considered nonamenable to treatment in the classic child guidance clinic. Contrary to the classic stipulations we are interested in· the child who is not necessarily of average mentality, who does not relate or communicate verbally, and whose mental and emotional development does not give immediate promise that the child will be able to establish a transference or symbolic relation as needed for psychotherapy. As a rule, these negative attributes reflect a further handicap to treatment, for example, the inadequacy of the parents to meet the basic requirements of the usual approach. Their own needs are too concrete, their attitude toward life and the human society too negative in every conceivable way, their sense of isolation and incompetence too overpowering for finding a common ground for communication and a common goal in reference to the child's welfare. In particular, responsibilities can not easily be perceived or accepted by the parents.