1st Edition

Containment and Reciprocity Integrating Psychoanalytic Theory and Child Development Research for Work with Children

By Hazel Douglas Copyright 2007
    184 Pages
    by Routledge

    184 Pages
    by Routledge

    Containment and Reciprocity shows how the psychoanalytic concept of containment and the child development concept of reciprocity can be used together to inform clinical work with young children and their families. Using extracts of mother/child and therapist/child interactions, Hazel Douglas explores, for the first time, the relationship between these concepts, and shows how they underpin the quality of an attachment.

    Using clinical examples from the author’s own psychoanalytic work with very young children as well as her recent research, the book explores these two concepts with important implications for psychotherapeutic technique. Containment and Reciprocity will make valuable reading for all those working in the field of infant mental health.

    Both/and Not Either/Or? Who Else Has Looked at Integrating These Two Concepts? What is Containment? What is Reciprocity? Can Reciprocity be Seen in Children's Psychotherapy Sessions? Does Containment Occur in Child Development Research? Are Containment and Reciprocity Linked? What Are their Differences and Similarities? How Does Reciprocity Link to Psychotherapeutic Theory and Technique? How Does Attachment Relate to Containment and Reciprocity? Integrating Containment and Reciprocity in Work with Children.

    Biography

    Hazel Douglas trained first as a clinical psychologist and then as a child psychotherapist. She has always had an interest in early intervention and prevention. She began working with adults but she is now working with infant mental health. She leads the development of the Solihull Approach, an integrated method of working with children and their families

    "...a satisfying read for those who would like to further and enrich their clinical work and theoretical understanding by integrating concepts from disciplines other than their own." - Sue Coulson, Head of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Islington PCT, Visiting Teacher, Tavistock Clinic, London, UK

    "This book is very enabling and will be of great use to many working in the field of child mental health." - Nina Harris Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist