Child Psychotherapy
Eileen Prendiville, Published on Dec 28, 2011
Eileen Prendiville of the Children's Therapy Centre gives explains what child psychotherapy is.
​Child psychotherapy using play helps children who are experiencing difficulties with their emotions or behaviour. The aim of play thearpy is to try to understand those difficulties and to bring about positive change.
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Play Therapy is helping children with:
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General anxieties
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Separation-anxiety
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Low self-esteem
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Behavioural difficulties
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Powerful emotional states
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LGBTQ+ Questions
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Intercultural questions
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Fostering & Adoption
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Feeling unhappy, sad moods
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Bereavement
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The birth of a sibling, change in family structure & dynamics
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Moving to a new place or attending a new school / transitions
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Identity Questions
Parents will be offered regular review meetings to talk about the progress your child is making. Those meetings are also an opportunity to talk more about the concerns you have about your child.
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A therapy session is 50 minutes long. The fee is 90 Euros (incl. VAT).
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A parent intake meeting is 50 minutes and the fee is 90 Euros (incl. Vat).
Payment is made via the SumUp PDF invoice link in advance of the session.
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Counselling & Psychotherapy is governed by a strict professional Code of Ethics click here and is respectful of all ethnic groups, sexual orientations, gender identity and beliefs.
How does Child psychotherapy work?
I always meet with the parent/s or guardian/s for an initial intake session before seeing the child. The initial intake session is vital for the therapist in order to gather information about the child. Moreover, it allows you (parents) to speak freely about your concerns. It also provides you with the opportunity to ask as many questions as you wish about the specific therapy modality, my professional background and other treatment options.
After the parent meeting I see the child for four initial intake sessions to get to know him/her and to gain a preliminary understanding of the presenting problem. Depending on the concerns and/or the age of the child you will be in the consultation room with your child during the intake period. Following this initial intake period I again meet with the parents to provide feedback and to discuss my recommendations.
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In the therapy session the child will have toys to play with as well as some writing/drawing material and stationery. This is to help your child to communicate what is on his or her mind. The length of therapy depends on the complexity and severity of the presenting problem.
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Parents, you will be offered regular meetings with myself to discuss the progress your child is making. In those parent review meetings you also have the opportunity to talk about ongoing concerns you may have while your child is attending.
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Parent Work
In online parent consultations the focus is on empowering you to help your child with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It is about helping you to explore new ways of responding to your child’s struggles. It involves thinking and talking about the attachment relationship of parent & child and explores how parents can positively impact that relationship. This in turn helps the child with managing big sad feelings, angry outbursts, worries etc. It is about developing your child’s critical thinking and resilience and also promoting pleasurable parenting.
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​Video Call Parent Work sessions are 50min and the fee 85 Euros (inlcl. Vat).
About Ines
Ines has been working therapeutically with children, adolescents and their parents/guardians for over 15 years. She worked and trained in different clinical settings such as:
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Adolescent Psychiatry, day hospital, St. Vincent's University Hospital Fairview (training position)
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DEIS Schools with children living in socioeconomically deprived areas
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Barnardos Post Adoption Service with adopted people
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Teen Between (Relationship Ireland)
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Private Practice.
Ines was a clinical placement supervisor for the MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Dublin Business School (2008 to 2017) and the BSc Counselling & Psychotherapy students at PCI (2018-2022). She currently provideses individual and group supervision to MSc Child Art Psychotherapy students at UCD, and Child Art Psychotherapy students on the post master training at the School of Psychotherapy St. Vincent's University Hospital Dublin. Ines also provides individual supervision for students on the Post MSc training in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at IICAP, and qualified professionals.
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Ines lectures on the MSc in Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy and BSc in Counselling & Psychotherapy at PCI College, and is a Guest Lecturer on the MSc in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Trinity College and the MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy at UCD.
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Ines was an active committee member of the Irish Forum for Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (IFCAPP, 2013-2019) and represented IFCAPP on the Psychoanalytic Section of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy.
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For more information with regards to her academic background and qualifications please click here.
FAQ's