Parent-Child Psychotherapeutic Interventions with Vulnerable Clients: Are They Within the Scope of Social Work Practitioners in Barbados?

The predominant field of social work practice in Barbados is childcare and child protection (Ring & Carmichael, 2015), however few psychotherapeutic programmes and interventions are developed and implemented by social work practitioners. Sociological and structural perspectives have guided research examining macro issues such as health and poverty, children’s rights and family structure (Shonkoff & Richter 2013) with very little emphasis placed on the examination of the beliefs and practices that shape the parent-child relationship (Williams Brown & Roopnarine 2006). With psychodynamic theories guiding their practice, social workers can explore the internal and external realities of the client’s life (Bower, 2005) to understand the symbiotic relationship between these two inner and outer worlds. This paper discusses the findings of a study that presents evidence of the way a social work led psychotherapeutic intervention can be an effective tool in social work practice.