Adolescent therapy: the role of the reflective team
Psychotherapy with adolescents is always a challenge, even more so when impulsivity and hyperactivity are associated with conduct disorders and lead to difficulties in socialisation. A combination of psychotherapy and medication has been broadly demonstrated to be the most effective intervention for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Among the most promising systemic models, the solution-focused therapy model described by Steve de Shazer has been suggested as being particularly indicated for ADHD. However, this intervention may be unsuccessful in those adolescents who, in their quest for identity formation, sometimes question authority figures. In addition, poor social skills and poor moral development associated with psychopathology require a more balanced relationship between therapists and patients to facilitate co-responsibility. This article aims to share our experience at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University Hospital Virgen de la Victoria in Malaga, Spain. Our unit is a tertiary service that offers assistance to 1,000,000 people in Malaga and the Costa del Sol. The unit provides specialised interventions for children and adolescents with mental health disorders. Once patients have been evaluated in the outpatient clinic, they are referred to specific programmes at the day centre according to their needs.
ADHD in practice 2013; 5(2): 17–18
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