NCJ Number
132628
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Mentally ill adolescents receiving hospital treatment seldom begin treatment with any form of therapeutic alliance; therefore, treatment professionals must become familiar with the obstacles to therapeutic collaboration, the precursors to collaboration, and the different levels of true collaboration.
Abstract
Obstacles to therapeutic collaboration include the adolescent's perception that hospitalization is coercive, the normal adolescent revulsion against passivity and dependence, and the psychopathology of the disturbed adolescent. However, a progression through acceptance of containment, formation of attachments, communication of symptoms, collaboration in conflict-free areas, and developmental achievement all represent precursors of collaboration. From these precursors many adolescents can progress to active use of treatment for constructive change and recognition of their own contribution to problems. Case examples and 22 references