The Baby and the Couple

The Baby and the Couple provides an insider’s view on how infant communication develops in the context of the family and how parents either work together as a team or struggle in the process. The authors present vignettes from everyday life as well as case studies from a longitudinal research project of infants and their parents interacting together in the Lausanne Trilogue Play (LTP), an assessment tool for very young families. Divided into three parts, the book focuses not only on the parents, but also on the infant’s contribution to the family.

Key Features

• Case study of Lucas and his family from infancy to age 5.
• Exploration of how infants learn to communicate with multiple people.
• Illustration of problematic co-parenting and the infant’s derailed trajectory.
• Overview of prevention and intervention models based on the LTP.
• Chapters on Developmental Systems Consultation and Reflective Family Play.

Additional Information

Part 2 explores how infants cope when their parents struggle to work together – excluding, competing or only connecting through their child. The authors follow several case examples from infancy through to early childhood to illustrate various forms of problematic co-parenting, along with the infant’s derailed trajectory at different ages and stages. In Part 3, prevention and intervention models based on the LTP are presented. In addition to an overview of these programs, chapters are devoted to the Developmental Systems Consultation, which combines use of the LTP and video feedback, and a new model, Reflective Family Play, which allows whole families to engage in treatment.

The Baby and the Couple is a vital resource for professionals working in the fields of infant and preschool mental health including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, family therapists and educators, as well as researchers.