This book is about the technique of treatment of the young, which differs in major aspects from that of adults. Such therapy can pave the way for resumption of normal development and lead to profound changes that enrich the quality of life and lay the foundation for a fulfilling and rewarding future. Freedom from disabling anxiety, inhibition, regression, or fixation enables the young individual to meet challenges of development and, in time, to pursue the ambitions and responsibilities of adult life. Child psychotherapy was originally derived from understanding gained from work with adults and was only gradually adapted to the treatment of children and adolescents. As knowledge of the analytic process became more refined and observations on early development increased, the technique of treatment of the young was enriched and became more coherent. Decades of clinical work and psychoanalytically informed research in early childhood increased our knowledge of object relations, internalization, structure, formation, identity, and pathology. These contributions not only expanded our grasp of normal and pathological development, they also established a firm theoretical and practical foundation for technique and clinical application. Although the psychoanalytic treatment of children was originally derived from its adult antecedent, in time it grew to become a guiding light and a major source of enlightenment for treatment of adults. Dr. Etezady presents a comprehensive and contemporary account of the psychoanalytic treatment of neurosis in children and adolescents. This reference offers an update on the current concepts as well as clarifying questions of technique and areas of controversy.Presentations by such experienced clinicians as Selma Kramer, Martin Silverman, L. J. Byerly, Helen R. Beiser, Charles Sarnoff, G. Pirooz Sholevar, Bertram A. Ruttenberg, and Robert C. Prall bear the mark of their own individual style and unique approaches. The chapters cover beginning treatment, formulating the dynamics, the working alliance and the real relationship, the conduct of the psychotherapeutic interview, transference, the use of dreams, play and fantasy, resistance, interpretation, countertransference, and termination. |
