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Child-Parent Psychotherapy

Homeless Children’s Network supports the training of clinicians on evidence-based practices for mental health treatment. In 2024, HCN received dedicated funding to train clinicians and serve children and families with Child-Parent Psychotherapy, an Evidence-Based Practice. 

CPP May Help When

  • Children have been through scary or painful events such as the loss of a loved person, separation, serious medical procedures, abuse, or violence at home or in the community

  • Children show difficult behaviors

  • Children have a change in placement or caregivers

  • Family members have physical health or mental health difficulties

  • Caregivers would like to help with parenting and improving parent-child relationships

Our 
Mission

Providing services that help young children and families recover and heal after stressful and traumatic events

What is CPP?

Therapy for young children, from birth through age 5,
as well as their parents/caregivers
 

• Supports family strengths and relationships

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• Helps families heal and grow after stressful experiences

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• Respects family and cultural values

What Happens During CPP

We work together in three stages:
Family Portrait

1

Getting to Know the
Child & Family

We spend time meeting alone with parents/ caregivers to understand the family’s

​

• Needs and challenges

• Strengths and values

• History and experiences

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If needed, we connect families to resources and services.

​

We make a plan for how CPP will help your family.

2

Addressing Families' Needs

We usually meet once a week with the parent/caregiver and child. If old enough, we first help children understand

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• Who we are

• Why they are coming

• What we will do together

​

We often use toys because young children show feelings and thoughts through play

We may meet alone as adults

We help parents/caregivers and children to

​

• Understand each other

• Talk and play about difficult experiences

• Respond to difficult feelings

and behaviors

• Create a family story that leads to healing

3

Wrapping Up & Planning
for the Future

We celebrate the changes families have made

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We talk about how parents/caregivers made changes happen

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We consider how endings and goodbyes may bring up different feelings

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We talk about what will be needed in the future

Cpp Studies Involving Diverse Families Show

Improvement in Children's

  • Mood

  • Problem Behaviors 

  • Learning

  • Trauma Symptoms

  • Biological Stress Response (Cortisol)

Improvement in Parent's

  • Mood

  • Parenting Stress

  • Trauma Symptom

  • Partner Relationship

Interested in CPP? Email candace.kavanagh@hcnkids.org

“ He knows now that he can talk to me, he can come to me, he can trust me.... And he really truly believes that; in the beginning, he didn’t. Big difference to the little boy who was afraid.”

Anonymous Caregiver

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