| Abstract: | This article describes a new integrated evaluation and intervention program for infants, small children and their families, a child psychiatric infant–family ward treatment model at Tampere University Hospital. A centerpiece of the model is a 3-week treatment period for the whole family at the infant–family day ward. The work of the multidisciplinary team on the ward focuses on family relationships, on representational level, and on the interactional behavior of the family. Interaction and relationships are used as tools, including a reflective working model and sharing concrete interaction with the family. Theoretically, the treatment is based on an integrative model where psychoanalytical and systems theories as well as a behavioral approach are applied in defining the strengths and problems of the family and of the infant and in choosing the best intervention techniques. The fact that the whole family is present at the ward creates a strong therapeutic holding relationship context and an open therapeutic reflection, which are the cornerstones of this new and encouraging treatment model. © 1998 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health |
