Abstract
M.A.
There seems to be a lack of uniformity concerning the psychotherapeutic
treatment of chlidren. This lack of uniformity was mainly
brought about by the development of the diverse theoretical
approaches in the history of child psychotherapy. There seems to
be a need for an integrated model that could be used for the
psychotherapeutic treatment of children.
A survey of the literature was undertaken in order to determine
the current status of the theory and practice of child psychotherapy.
The survey brought to light that the field of child psychotherapy
gradually developed from an intrapsychic to an interactional
orientation.
From a retrospective view it is apparent that the diverse theoretical
approaches in the development of the field of child psychotherapy,
culminated in the systems approach. This approach is
currently supported in terms of the theory and practice of child
psychotherapy. The systems approach offers an integrated model
and represent a meta-theory for the psychotherapeutic treatment
of children. It also offers a multitude of therapeutic interventions
for the child therapist. Therefore, a tentative model
has been suggested based on the systems model for the psychotherapeutic
treatment of children.