"In situations of social and personal adversity, the everyday challenges of parenting can be overwhelming. How do stress and trauma disrupt early caregiving relationships, and what is the impact on children? What can practitioners do to help? This eloquent book describes child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), an empirically supported treatment that engages parents as the most powerful agents of their young children's healthy development. Grounded in extensive clinical experience and cutting-edge research, CPP provides vital tools for promoting children's well-being and parents' capacity to nurture and protect." "Filled with detailed, evocative examples, the volume offers both a comprehensive theoretical framework and practical therapeutic guidelines. It takes the reader step by step through assessing clients and combining play, developmental guidance, trauma-focused interventions, and concrete assistance with problems of living. Clear-cut yet flexible strategies are presented for helping parents resolve their own painful past experiences, gain insight into their child's developmental stage and unique psychological makeup, respond more effectively to his or her emotional needs, and create a safer family environment."--Jacket.