One theme I'm definitely interested in exploring throughout this course is how child therapy should differ from adult therapy. In my experience, children and adults experience the world differently, as children tend to have much less agency, being conditioned to follow the rules of adults. I think it's particularly important that children don't feel pressured to explore ideas that might destabilize them, as they haven't yet developed some of the skills adults might have in terms of navigating their emotional needs and knowing how to cope. Yet, it seems to be that children are especially prone to suggestion, and aren't as practiced with identifying the boundaries around things that they aren't willing or ready to explore.
Throughout the readings around child therapy I keep thinking to myself, "This is the same as for adults." For instance, Bloomfield's method of making safe space, creating a holding environment, and intervening doesn't seem inherently unique to child psychotherapy. I think the parameters around intervention might differ for adults and children. It almost seems like child therapy is "development-informed," as opposed to a totally different approach. It's about recognizing that some of these defense mechanisms haven't been around as long as in adults, and understanding how critical it can be to the development of a person to treat emotional issues as soon as possible to enable the healthy maturation of an individual.