How the Patient-Therapist Relationship is Informed by Infant-Mother Interaction

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What can the messy delicate dance of mother-infant interaction teach us about deepening the patient-therapist connection? The processes that drive child development, especially those within the parent-child relationship, represent some of the most powerful mechanisms of human change. Similarly, therapy strives to transform individuals’ functioning and well-being. This presentation explores how qualities within the parent-child relationship that promote growth can enhance our understanding of what makes the patient-therapist relationship effective in facilitating change. While therapy and the parent-child relationship differ significantly, they share foundational characteristics. Key topics include the necessity of dyadic organization, the inherently complex and "messy" process of meaning-making, and the role of reparation. These concepts are brought to life through videos from Dr. Tronick's research on the Still-Face experiment and parent-child interactions.

Join Dr. Tronick for a transformative look into the science of connection that promises to deepen your therapeutic approach and enhance client outcomes.

Objectives

1. Examine how Claude Bernard’s concept of biological stability informs our understanding of child development and where it may need to expand to encompass the complexities of human relationships.
2. Identify the key differences and similarities between therapeutic and parent-child relationships, focusing on how foundational qualities from the parent-child dynamic can support effective therapeutic change.
3. Analyze the benefits of repairing mismatches and embracing the "messiness" of interactions within the therapeutic setting, enhancing resilience and relational depth in client outcomes.

Citations

Harrison, A., & Tronick, E. (2021). Intersubjectivity: Conceptual considerations in meaning-making with a clinical illustration. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 715873. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.715873

Tronick, E., & Hunter, R. (2020). Keeping complexity in mind. In L. Provenzi & R. Montirosso (Eds.), Developmental human behavioral epigenetics: Principles, methods, evidence, and future directions (pp. xi–xvi). Academic Press, Elsevier.

Tronick, E. (2022). Trauma never occurs only once: Being traumatized by a slap is like making meaning of the game of peek-a-boo. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 32(6), 661–673. https://doi.org/10.1080/10481885.2022.2138083

Provenzi, L., & Tronick, E. (2020). The power of disconnection during the COVID-19 emergency: From isolation to reparation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000619

Provenzi, L., Montirosso, R., & Tronick, E. (2020). Risk and protective factors associated with early adversity and development: Evidence from human and animal research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2906. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02906

Harrison, A., & Tronick, E. (in press). Trevarthen’s primary intersubjectivity: An appreciation and an elaboration. In J. Delafield-Butt & V. Reddy (Eds.), Intersubjective minds: Rhythm, sympathy and human being. Oxford University Press.

Zuckerman, B., & Tronick, E. (2023). The still-face paradigm: Training model for relational health. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 44(2), e135–e136. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001154

Presented by: ED TRONICK

Ed Tronick is a developmental and clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. He founded the Infant-Parent Mental Health Post Graduate Certificate Program (now the Early Relational Health Fellowship) at the Medical School.

Dr. Tronick is known for developing foundational tools in infant and child development, including the Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale and the Touchpoints Project with T.B. Brazelton, as well as the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Assessment Scale with Barry Lester. Currently, he is focused on creating norms for the neurobehavior of clinically healthy newborns and is collaborating with Rosario Montirosso in Milan on a multi-NICU study of developmental caretaking and its effects on preterm infants.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Tronick has extensively researched mother/parent-infant interactions, focusing on how these dynamics inform the therapeutic relationship. He co-authored the book The Power of Discord, which explores the importance of conflict and repair in developing resilience and connection.

A past member of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and the Boston Process of Change Group, Dr. Tronick also founded the Touchpoints program and previously taught at Harvard Medical School. He pioneered the Still-Face Paradigm and recently developed the Caretaker Acute Stress Paradigm. His research has been recognized with numerous awards, emphasizing his contributions to understanding infant social-emotional development and its impact on clinical practice. 

Dr. Tronick's work has reached beyond academia, influencing community mental health programs and public health policies related to early childhood development. He is a sought-after speaker and gives talks internationally to diverse audiences, including mental health professionals, educators, and policymakers, with recent engagements in London, Tokyo, and Melbourne. 

In addition to research on infant development, Dr. Tronick analyzes epidemiologic data to explore responses to depression and help-seeking behaviors across ethnic and racial groups, as well as the effects of loneliness. He is also involved in research on stress hormones' long-term relation to socioeconomic factors, violence exposure, and health disparities. Other projects include brain development and parenting studies of micro-lemurs. 

He has published more than 300 scientific articles and 7 books, several hundred photographs, has appeared on national radio and television programs, and lectures internationally.