The transcultural dimension of parent–child care at the service of the therapeutic alliance

Résumé 0

The importance of the therapeutic alliance in psychological care is well known. In the field of child psychiatry, it involves considerable work with the patients’ families. Participant observation of children with severe developmental disorders and their parents within a group setting has enabled us to devise an original framework that is friendly, supportive, and transitional. It has also enabled us to conceive of a particular positioning that benevolent caregivers can take, whereby they play an active role in what is intended to be an equal relationship. In this context, the contribution of transcultural references highlights the importance of free and non-judgmental communication between parents with a history of exile and their care providers, and also of taking into account the parents’ cultural references. It further points to the need for caregivers to de-center. Transcultural thinking sheds light on the role of co-construction of the therapeutic alliance and care with families that are sometimes viewed as reluctant about or averse toward treatment.