Relationship-based treatments

In this chapter, relationship-based treatments are understood as those that either target the improvement of key relationships between child and others, or use the therapist-patient relationship as a core mechanism through which they are delivered and generate change. Parent-mediated interventions to improve early parent-child relationships have a good evidence base for effect across a number of areas of parent- and child-related risk, including child developmental disorders. The relationship between therapist and patient can act as a mechanism through which treatments generally can be effective; this has been most studied within the concept of therapeutic alliance, but the concept is extended in this chapter to illuminate the nature of attachment-related therapies and more recently evolved techniques of Motivational Interviewing, enhancing treatments for eating disorders and substance misuse, and Mentalisation-Based Therapy, evidenced in borderline states and self harm. The chapter also discusses other ‘named’ therapies that involve a focus on relationships within the treatment or the improvement of a young person's relationships outside therapy; these include Interpersonal Therapy and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, both of which have an evidence base for treatment of mood disorder, and Cognitive Analytic Therapy.