Psychology
Military people are bound to offer their life to the service of the nation. However, there can be a lot of problems in their personal life due to the same reason. We were discussing the problems associated with the army personals’ children’s emotional and psychological development and the problems associated with it.
Statistics show that around 2 million people are close relatives of over 1.4 million active army personals. Around 1.2 million people out of these close family members are teenagers and adolescents between 0 to 18 years of age. More than 75% of the kids fall below the age of 12. Studies also show that relationship between children and parents are affected by various army postings in distant places especially for the Freedom for Iraq operation. As the military operation continues even after 10 years of starting the missions, there is a high rate of behavioral issues that are inclined to negative side, emotional breakdowns and poor academic performance among children of Army personals deployed at far off places. When one of the parents is deployed at far off places, the needs for psychological health care services for their children are on the rise. (Gurwitch, et al.)
In this complicated situation, the value of parent-child interaction therapy is very important. The strategies of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) are based on a powerful evidence-centered methodology developed by Dr. Sheila Eyberg to be used for the betterment of behavioral issues among young children of the age group of 2 to 7. The wide use of PCIT is now effectively used for supporting children from military families. PCIT is an evaluation-based involvement in supporting children and is a distinct type of management training and therapy for parents as PCIT focuses on direct coaching processes that involve active involvement of both the parent and the children. (Gurwitch, et al.)
PCIT includes two phases of healing. This involves training sessions in which both the parents and the child participates. The parents also need to gain some new skill sets before they move forward with the therapy. Hence, PCIT is an effective and secure treatment option for kids who hail from military families. The first phase of the treatment often includes Child Directed Interaction. This phase gives importance to developing and improving a good positive relationship between the child and the parent. The phase also focuses on reducing traumas and related fears in the mind of children. Once the initial phase is completed based on its objectives, the participants move to the second stage, which is the parent-directed interaction. This phase concentrates on increasing predictability and consistency and equips the parents to adopt a good follow through strategy. This phase teaches parents to adopt an effective discipline strategy. Focus is also given to enhance commanding power, set proper limits for their children, and to adopt an effective problem-solving strategy. (Gurwitch, et al.)
The processes which were just clinic-based simulations are then implemented in real life for experiencing and understanding them in a better way. Normally, families’ require 12 to 15 sessions to complete both the phases. PCIT is commonly used to resolve family issues in post-traumatic conditions. Another advantage of PCIT is that effective use of PCIT strategies will help in better parenting thus improving the stronger relationship between married partners. Additionally, the relationship of the parents with their children and their emotional attachment is also further enhanced.
Parent-child interaction therapy is the most effective healing strategy in military families as the trauma caused by the unavailability of a parent for a long term might otherwise affect the emotional stability of the child. PCIT is an effective strategy to streamline the child’s focus on much more creative aspects and to empower and reassure the child about a strong family atmosphere.
Works Cited
Gurwitch, Robin, Shantel Fernandez, Erica Pearl, and Geoffrey Chung. "Utilizing Parent-Child Interaction Therapy to Help Improve the Outcome of Military Families." Http://www.apa.org. Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/newsletter/2013/01/parent-child-interaction.aspx>.
