We thought it was a secret! An approach to the management of emotional disorder in children with parents in marital conflict

The relationship of marital conflict with emotional disorder in children is well known. The disturbed behaviour at these children is a reaction to, and at times may be the only manifestation of, the parent's conflict. The author has developed an interview technique, based on drawing a dream, which enables children to effectively communicate their understanding of the stressful events in their lives that contribute to their emotional disorder. These drawings and the child's perceptions of their parents' conflict are then discussed with the parents. This often sharply focuses the problem for the parents and may facilitate a resolution of the marital conflict, thereby allowing a more appropriate realignment of family relationships, with a consequent improvement of the child's emotional disorder.