From individual to institution: a psychoanalytic approach to work with children, parents, families and organisations

These papers span over twenty years of clinical experience as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, working, in the main, within the NHS as part of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Inner London. For many years, until I specialised in work with Under Fives, I undertook a wide range of clinical work due to the diverse nature of referrals in these services. I learned to apply, adapt and, in some cases, extend the concepts and techniques gained through my psychoanalytic child psychotherapy training to a range of different contexts in order to work effectively. Regular supervision played a key role in facilitating these developments. I will first give an overview of the clinical experience from which these papers emerged, then briefly outline the clinical research methodology underpinning these publications. Following this, I will set out the theoretical background which informed my training and subsequent work. I will then describe the principal themes in my work and areas of original contribution, theoretically and on a service development level. A summary of each published piece will follow and I will conclude by indicating areas of interest for continuing research and development