The Use of Psychoanalytic Concepts in Therapy with Families

This book aims to be a readable and user-friendly adjunct for therapists working with families who are interested in incorporating into their thinking and practice some ideas from psychoanalytic theory and practice. It integrates psychoanalytic concepts into systemic family therapy.

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This book begins with a readable practitioner's guide to psychoanalytic theory and concepts. It moves on to give a number of detailed practice-based examples of the application of this theoretical model in the therapy room with the families of children seeking help with a variety of difficulties. The ideas are presented as an enhancement, and not an alternative, to the different styles and schools of therapy with families, and aim at enriching and broadening both the therapists thinking and practice skills. The examples include: children who have suffered emotional harm, young children whose behaviour can be violent, feeding difficulties, anorexia nervosa, somatic presentations, and children whose separated parents are in conflict. The author writes clearly and enthusiastically on the important possibilities that this way of thinking can bring to therapists work with families.