In cases involving child protective services, the goals of therapy are determined by the parents' ability and willingness to change. If parents can become better caregivers, the aim is family reunification. However, if parents are unable to change, for instance due to untreated drug addiction, therapy for the children focuses on helping them adjust to alternative placements like foster care or adoption.

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When children are removed from their parents' care due to abuse or neglect, the family becomes involved with child protective services, which often mandates treatment. As part of this process, parents may be referred to psychiatric or substance abuse facilities, while the children typically receive therapy to help them process trauma.

Child Protective Services-Mandated Treatment

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Therapeutic Goals in CPS Cases

A child therapy session can be visualized as an interaction between an adult, likely a therapist, and a child in a setting designed to be comfortable and non-intimidating. For example, they might sit at a child-sized table, surrounded by toys like stuffed animals, which can be used to facilitate communication and therapeutic play.

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