Understanding the benefits of child-parent psychotherapy delivered via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT African American families have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Child-parent psychotherapy (CPP) was developed as a dyadic, attachment-based, in-person intervention for parents with young children who have experienced trauma that promotes secure attachment between the parent and child. This case series study evaluates the acceptability of telehealth delivery of CPP by four providers to five African American parent-child dyads during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed that both parents and providers were overall satisfied with the use of telehealth for CPP delivery during the pandemic. The virtual delivery of CPP led to perceived beneficial outcomes for families who experienced trauma and additional stressors during the pandemic. Although the virtual delivery of CPP had its drawbacks, it decreased accessibility barriers such as time and distance. This finding lends support to the acceptability of telehealth delivery of CPP for under-resourced African American families and their providers as well as offers recommendations for improving the virtual delivery of CPP.