A new systematic study shows psychotherapy interventions can prevent and reduce mental health difficulties in parents and caregivers and their babies and young children 

A comprehensive scientific review of international research by the Anna Freud Centre shows the positive impacts of therapy interventions with children under 5 Years of age and their caregivers.

The detailed research, the first of its kind to focus specifically on psychodynamic and psychoanalytic interventions, was commissioned by the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) and published on 6th October 2022. The systematic review of 77 research studies, including 5,660 participants, shows that therapy in the very early months and years of life can help to prevent and reduce mental health difficulties both for parents and carers and their children by focusing on the crucial relationship between them.

Click here to see The Evidence Base for Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Interventions with Children under 5 years of age and their Caregivers