Esther Bick's legacy of infant observation at the Tavistock — Some reflections 60 years on.

This paper reviews the development of Infant Observation from its inception in 1948. It revisits Bick's original 1964 paper and explores current divergences from her original practice in the context of contemporary theories of psychoanalysis and adjacent disciplines and of relevant changes in society. It draws on the personal recollections of Bick's early students as well as the expanding published literature. It discusses seminar technique, the training of seminar leaders, and clinical and research applications of the observational method

Work discussion. Some historical and theoretical observations.

Book Preview. Work Discussion brings together a combination of close observation of, and personal and interpersonal responses to, the minutiae of the work setting and its dynamics, both internal and external. Such a model depends on the development of hard-won capacities, and the descriptions offered here, both by students and by experienced staff, fully demonstrate the immense relevance of the approach, both to training and to a wide variety of work situations. The book outlines the process of the method itself, followed by descriptions of a range of settings, both in Britain and abroad, in which that method has been successfully applied. The contributors draw on experiences across age, culture, and race in, for example, schools, hospitals, residential homes, in a prison, and in a refugee community. The final chapter explores the implications of work discussion for research and policy-making more generally. Many of the situations narrated here are extreme, whether in terms of disturbance or of vulnerability, but they offer moving insights into how effective the method can be and how truly impressive a developmental model it provides

John Bowlby at the Tavistock

Bowlby's best know work at the Tavistock Clinic is his foundational research into attachment relationships. This paper describes his other significant contributions, as a clinician interested in family dynamics and the impact of real events in the genesis of childhood anxieties, and as an institution builder in his role in establishing a psychoanalytically based training in Child Psychotherapy oriented towards public health

Observation, reflection and containment: A psychoanalytic approach to work with parents and children under five.

The contemporary relevance of psychoanalysis is being increasingly questioned; Off the Couch challenges this view, demonstrating that psychoanalytic thinking and its applications are both innovative and relevant, in particular to the management and treatment of more disturbed and difficult to engage patient groups. Chapters address: clinical applications in diverse settings across the age range the relevance of psychoanalytic thinking to the practice of CBT, psychosomatics and general psychiatry the contribution of psychoanalytic thinking to mental health policy and the politics of conflict and mediation. This book suggests that psychoanalysis has a vital position within the public health sector and discusses how it can be better utilised in the treatment of a range of mental health problems. It also highlights the role of empirical research in providing a robust evidence base. Off the Couch will be essential reading for those practicing in the field of mental health and will also be useful for anyone involved in the development of mental health and public policies. It will ensure that practitioners and supervisors have a clear insight into how psychoanalysis can be applied in general healthcare

Sibling Catastrophes: an Essay on two Jacobean Tragedies

In this essay, the authors explore the mental and social worlds depicted in Webster's two great Jacobean tragedies, The White Devil (1612) and The Duchess of Malfi. (1623). The authors particularly focus on the sibling relationships depicted in these plays, and explore how far the strengths or weakness of these relationships, their domination by the life or death drives, by emotions of love or hate, can be understood as a measure of the health of the social order in which these relationships are situated

The Regeneration of Doctor Who

This article analyses the new series of Doctor Who, now in its third run on BBC Television since its revival in 2005.The approach, which follows the authors’ earlier work on children’s fiction and on drama, is in part psychoanalytic and in part sociological. From a psychoanalytic point of view, the authors investigate the states of mind and feeling evoked in the dramatic action of the episodes, and the ways in which these provide imaginative spaces for the audience – especially children and adolescents – to explore aspects of their own development. From a more sociological point of view, the authors suggest ways in which the show reflects aspects of the society in which it is set, including the ways in which it takes advantage of the opportunities of time and space travel to encourage its viewers to become aware of other ‘possible worlds’, different from their own. Two episodes in particular are used to demonstrate how much the production team has achieved in its regeneration of Doctor Who

Disordini psichici e sociali. 'Il Diavolo Bianco' e 'La Duchessa di Amalfi' di Webster. [Mental and social disorders. 'The White Devil' and 'The Duchess of Malfi' by Webster]

In this essay, the authors explore the mental and social worlds depicted in Webster's two great Jacobean tragedies, The White Devil (1612) and The Duchess of Malfi. (1623). The authors particularly focus on the sibling relationships depicted in these plays, and explore how far the strengths or weakness of these relationships, their domination by the life or death drives, by emotions of love or hate, can be understood as a measure of the health of the social order in which these relationships are situate