| Course | PAC 405 Child Psychology |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Therapy approach application |
| Length | About 1,027 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PAC 405 Module 5
What the Drawings Say: Psychodynamic Child Therapy, a Boy's Unspoken Grief and Where the Approach Fits
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
PAC 405: Child Psychology
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What the Drawings Say: Psychodynamic Child Therapy, a Boy's Unspoken Grief and Where the Approach Fits
In his third session at Bayview, Jaylen drew a comic about a superhero named Bolt who protects his city while his father is "away on a mission." In the next session he drew Bolt again, and again the father was away. Asked about his own father, incarcerated since Jaylen was eight, he shrugged and said, "He's just gone." His mother has noticed that he becomes furious when she corrects him, far more than the situation warrants. Jaylen began drinking with his cousins last year. Some of this material invites a psychodynamic reading. This paper explains psychodynamic child therapy, reviews its evidence and judges where it fits in Jaylen's plan. Jaylen and his family are composites, and the research is real.
Core Ideas
Psychodynamic therapy holds that some feelings and conflicts operate outside awareness and shape behavior. Children, who often lack words for painful feelings, may express them through play, drawing, behavior and relationships. Defenses, such as denying a feeling or turning it into anger, protect the child from distress but may cause problems. The relationship with the therapist is central: children often bring to it patterns from other relationships, a process called transference, and a consistent, attentive therapist provides a place where those patterns can be noticed and understood. The goal is not only to reduce symptoms but to help the child understand and bear feelings so that they no longer drive behavior.
What the Evidence Shows
Midgley and Kennedy (2011) critically reviewed the evidence for psychodynamic psychotherapy with children and adolescents, including randomized trials and naturalistic studies. They found a growing body of evidence that psychodynamic therapy is effective for a range of problems, with the strongest support for emotional, or internalizing, problems such as depression and anxiety. Some studies suggested that benefits continued to grow after therapy ended. They noted that the evidence base was smaller than for some other approaches and called for more trials.
Fonagy and Target (1994) examined the records of several hundred children treated with psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy at a London clinic. Children with disruptive disorders, such as conduct and oppositional problems, did less well than children with emotional disorders. Among children with disruptive disorders, those who also had anxiety, those who were younger and those who were seen more intensively, several times a week, did better. Abbass et al. (2013) conducted a meta-analysis of short-term psychodynamic therapy for children and adolescents, involving a limited number of sessions, and found large improvements from before to after treatment that were maintained or increased at follow-up, with outcomes similar to other treatments in the few direct comparisons.
Translating Concepts Into Jaylen's Behavior
| Concept | Plain meaning | Possible expression in Jaylen |
|---|---|---|
| Unconscious feeling | A feeling the child does not fully recognize | Grief and anger about his father that he says he does not feel |
| Defense | A way of protecting oneself from a painful feeling | "He's just gone"; a shrug that closes the subject |
| Displacement | Directing a feeling at a safer target | Rage at his mother's small corrections |
| Symbolic play | Expressing feelings through stories or images | Bolt, the hero whose father is always away |
| Transference | Bringing patterns from other relationships to the therapist | Testing whether the counselor, too, will disappear |
What Sessions Would Look Like
In psychodynamic sessions, Jaylen would continue drawing, and the counselor would show interest in Bolt's story, sometimes wondering aloud about the father who is always away or about how Bolt feels when his father misses things. The counselor would not interpret quickly or force connections to Jaylen's own father. Consistency would matter: the same time each week, a counselor who does not cancel, a clear explanation if a session must be missed. Over time, Jaylen might begin to talk more directly about his father, and his anger at his mother might soften as the grief beneath it finds another outlet.
Where the Approach Fits
The evidence suggests that psychodynamic work fits some of Jaylen's needs better than others. His grief about his father and his displaced anger are emotional problems of the kind psychodynamic therapy addresses well, and drawing gives him a natural way in. His drinking, however, is a behavior shaped by peers, opportunity and supervision, and Fonagy and Target's findings suggest that behavioral problems respond less well to psychodynamic treatment alone. A multidimensional plan can use psychodynamic work in individual sessions for his grief, while using behavioral and family methods, discussed in later modules, to address his drinking and the supervision gaps around it.
A Session in Practice
In a typical session, Jaylen would arrive, choose his markers and pick up where Bolt's story left off. The counselor would sit beside him rather than across from him, watch the story unfold and comment on what Bolt seems to feel. If Jaylen added a scene in which Bolt's father finally appears and then leaves again, the counselor might say, "It's hard when someone comes and then goes," and wait. If Jaylen changed the subject to basketball, the counselor would follow. Near the end, the counselor would give a five-minute warning, since endings can be hard for children whose parents have left, and would say clearly when the next session will be.
Working With His Mother
His mother will be told, in plain terms, what the drawing sessions are for: a place for Jaylen to work through feelings about his father that may be fueling his anger. She will be invited to notice and tell the counselor about changes at home, and the counselor will help her respond to his outbursts without taking them as rejection. Details of what Jaylen says in sessions will remain private unless there is a safety concern.
Conclusion
Jaylen's drawings of a hero whose father is always away suggest feelings he has not put into words. Midgley and Kennedy show growing evidence for psychodynamic therapy with children, especially for emotional problems, Fonagy and Target show that disruptive problems respond less well and Abbass and colleagues show that short-term models can produce lasting gains. Psychodynamic work fits Jaylen's grief and anger, while other approaches in his plan address his drinking.
References
Abbass, A. A., Rabung, S., Leichsenring, F., Refseth, J. S., & Midgley, N. (2013). Psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents: A meta-analysis of short-term psychodynamic models. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(8), 863-875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.014
Fonagy, P., & Target, M. (1994). The efficacy of psychoanalysis for children with disruptive disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 33(1), 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199401000-00007
Midgley, N., & Kennedy, E. (2011). Psychodynamic psychotherapy for children and adolescents: A critical review of the evidence base. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 37(3), 232-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/0075417X.2011.614738
What the PAC 405 Module 5 instructions ask for
The fifth module of PAC 405 examines psychodynamic child therapy; expect to explain its concepts and methods, weigh the research behind it and show it working with one child. Follow the Module 5 page in your Aspen course; Jaylen is a composite. Explain core concepts, such as unconscious feelings, defenses and the therapy relationship, in plain language. Describe how sessions work with children, often through play and drawing. Present research honestly, including for which problems and ages it works best. Apply concepts to specific behavior. Judge where the approach fits in the child's plan, with each study referenced in APA 7. Keep each interpretation tentative and tied to something the child actually did or said. Say what the approach cannot do for this child.
How the PAC 405 Module 5 example is put together
In sessions, Jaylen draws comic heroes whose fathers are always far away or missing, and he becomes angry when his mother corrects him. Midgley and Kennedy's Journal of Child Psychotherapy review summarizes evidence across disorders and ages. Fonagy and Target's study of several hundred clinic records reports which children did best in psychoanalytic treatment. Abbass and colleagues' meta-analysis reports outcomes of short-term psychodynamic models. A five-row table translates concepts such as defense and transference into Jaylen's behavior. The paper describes weekly sessions using drawing, explains them to his mother and concludes that the approach fits his grief but not his substance use.
PAC 405 Module 5 rubric: what earns full marks
Approach papers earn credit for accurate concepts, honest evidence and a careful judgment of fit. This example explains psychodynamic ideas in language a parent could follow and ties each concept to an observable behavior. It reports Fonagy and Target's finding that disruptive disorders responded less well, which tempers enthusiasm, and Abbass and colleagues' positive results for short-term models. The judgment that the approach suits Jaylen's grief but not his drinking shows the course's multidimensional thinking: one approach does not have to do everything. The writing avoids jargon and keeps interpretations tentative, as good psychodynamic work does. Consistency of sessions is treated as part of the treatment, and his mother is told what the sessions are for.
Common PAC 405 Module 5 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students often describe psychodynamic therapy in jargon or dismiss it as unscientific. Explain its concepts plainly and report its evidence honestly, including where it is stronger and weaker. Apply concepts to specific behaviors rather than general statements. Keep interpretations tentative; a drawing suggests, it does not prove. Describe what sessions actually involve with children, such as play, drawing and the relationship. Judge fit for the child's specific problems. Consider combining approaches, since a multidimensional plan can use psychodynamic work for one need and other methods for another. Involve parents appropriately and explain to them what the sessions are for. Keep session times consistent.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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PAC 405 Module 5 questions, answered
What does PAC 405 Module 5 usually ask for?
Aspen's PAC 405 covers psychodynamic child therapy in this module, so explaining its concepts and evidence and applying it to a case is typical. Read your Module 5 prompt.
Is psychodynamic therapy effective for children?
Midgley and Kennedy found growing evidence, especially for emotional problems, and Abbass and colleagues found large improvements with short-term psychodynamic models.
Which children benefit most from psychodynamic therapy?
Fonagy and Target found that children with emotional disorders, younger children and those seen more often did better than children with disruptive disorders.
Where can I find a free PAC 405 Module 5 sample paper?
Read the whole paper above: psychodynamic child therapy applied to a boy's unspoken grief, with a concept table and a judgment of fit.
How does psychodynamic therapy work with children?
Through play, drawing and the relationship, the therapist helps the child express and understand feelings, such as grief or anger, that are hard to put into words.