Family Treatment of an Obsessive‐Compulsive Child: A Case Report

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Abstract
This paper presents a family therapy approach to the treatment of an obsessive-compulsive child. Psychodynamic, behavioral and family therapy approaches to the etiology and treatment of this dysfunction are described briefly, and a detailed case report of a 15-session treatment utilizing behavioral interventions designed to change the family context is presented. Various procedures for dealing with the obsessive-compulsive behavior have been reported in the literature, including eliminating it directly by interruption or ordeal and modifying it. In this case, the author proceeded by ignoring the compulsive behaviors and concentrating on more functional ones using a paradoxical charting intervention. At one-year follow-up, the child was symptom free. Relationship factors, technical interventions, and stylistic aspects of the therapy are discussed, and the importance of rapid symptom alleviation in these children is underscored.