Tavistock and Portman E-Prints Online
Not a member yet
2774 research outputs found
Sort by
The Frog and Toad stories of Arnold Lobel: A psychoanalytic perspective
No full textArnold Lobel (1933–1987) was an American author and illustrator of picture books for children. Unlike his contemporary, Maurice Sendak, Lobel spoke little about his own work. Perhaps for this reason and perhaps because of the muted nature of Lobel’s style, his books have not received wider critical attention, particularly from those looking at the intersection of psychoanalysis and children’s literature. But Lobel’s later work, most notably his series of four books about Frog and Toad, warrant closer examination. Lobel was always clear that the best children’s books ‘strike deep’ and that ‘underneath there is something much more’. While never losing their playful quality, the Frog and Toad stories engage both child and adult readers at a more profound level. This deeper level of engagement owes much to the psychoanalytic ideas that are embodied throughout. Reference primarily to D.W. Winnicott will be made and the relationship between children’s literature, in particular the picture book, and psychoanalysis will be considered. After exploring Lobel’s background, influences and style, attention will be given to the many and varied roles that Frog and Toad may represent. A close reading of three stories will be used to illustrate the psychoanalytic ideas that may lie ‘underneath’
Working with dilemmas and disappointment in difficult places: Towards a psychosocial model for team-focused reflective practice
No full text"It's all just a bit of a mess when drugs are involved, it really is". A narrative study of young people who have recently been discharged from a specialist support service for their substance use.
No full textThere is a lack of narrative research in the United Kingdom (UK) that captures the stories of young people who are, or have previously been, dealing with issues surrounding their use of drugs and/or alcohol. This study, through the utilisation of a narrative approach, aims to provide a rich and detailed description of young people’s experiences, and the difficulties they’ve faced, with their use of drugs and/or alcohol. In this study I have presented the stories of three males aged seventeen to eighteen in rough verse form and then individually analysed the narratives using Engels’ narrative analysis approach. The young males have recently been discharged from a specialist support service for their use of drugs and/or alcohol which has caused concern. The specialist support service supports adolescents (aged fourteen – eighteen) with their drug and/or alcohol use. Each young male was interviewed twice, the first interview allowed the young person to tell their story in its entirety. During the second interview, each young person’s narrative was presented back to them in rough verse form and they were asked to reflect upon reading their story as well as check the anonymity of their identity in their narrative. It is hoped that the findings will help inform Educational Psychologists of some of the challenges faced by young adults who have experienced difficulties as a result of their substance use. In turn it is hoped that this may lead to better informed hypothesis generation when encountering young people who have problematic relationships with drugs and/or alcohol
Practitioners' experiences of adolescent suicidal behaviour in peer groups
No full textIntroduction
Group suicidal behaviour by young people can have harmful effects; it may be increasing, influenced by online media and reported increasing self-harm rates; new knowledge and understanding to inform interventions is required.
Aim
To explore how practitioners experience group suicidal behaviour amongst adolescents, how they assess risks/ needs, and how these insights inform understanding about these groups.
Method
10 practitioners, including Mental Health Nurses, were interviewed in one multidisciplinary CAMHS, in England. Data analysis was by Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke 2006).
Results
Participants described frequently working with suicidal groups. Roles in groups include suicide encouraging and preventing. Practitioners identify risky and protective connections between young people, online and offline. Clinical tensions include living with suicidal risks, emotional and positional challenges, and getting to grips with digital media.
Discussion
Peer-groups appear to have a larger role in adolescent suicide than recognised to date. Practitioners need to assess young people's roles in groups, their diverse motivations, and to understand constantly changing digital media.
Implications for Practice
Assessments of suicide risk for young people should routinely include focus on peer relations including the online/digital realm. Maintaining relationships with vulnerable young people facilitates managing fluctuating risks and understanding different group dynamics
Stigma in science: the case of earthquake prediction
No full textThis paper explores how earthquake scientists conceptualise earthquake prediction, particularly given the conviction of six earthquake scientists for manslaughter (subsequently overturned) on 22 October 2012 for having given inappropriate advice to the public prior to the L’Aquila earthquake of 6 April 2009. In the first study of its kind, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 earthquake scientists and the transcribed interviews were analysed thematically. The scientists primarily denigrated earthquake prediction, showing strong emotive responses and distancing themselves from earthquake ‘prediction’ in favour of ‘forecasting’. Earthquake prediction was regarded as impossible and harmful. The stigmatisation of the subject is discussed in the light of research on boundary work and stigma in science. The evaluation reveals how mitigation becomes the more favoured endeavour, creating a normative environment that disadvantages those who continue to pursue earthquake prediction research. Recommendations are made for communication with the public on earthquake risk, with a focus on how scientists portray uncertainty
Promoting resilience in schools: The importance of both training and reflection for teachers and school staff
No full text
Patchwork families: A grounded theory of how video interaction guidance facilitates foster-carers’ relationships with children in their care
No full textVideo Interaction Guidance (VIG) has been used with a range of different client groups to support positive interactions (Kennedy, Landor and Todd, 2011). There has been little research into how this intervention might work with foster-carers of primary school-aged children who are in Local Authority care. Using Grounded Theory Methodology (Corbin and Strauss, 2008), interview data from 7 foster-carers of primary-school aged children who had taken part in a video-feedback intervention, VIG, was analysed. Data was collected prior to and subsequent to the intervention. The theory that developed from this analysis, The Patchwork Explanatory Model, elucidated the complexity of the lives of the foster-carers through identification of relational factors that affected effective interactions between them and the children in their care. These include; the child’s attributes, foster-carer’s beliefs, child behaviour, the child and carer’s histories, foster-carer’s capacity to reflect, other people and the foster-carer’s affective state. Processes that are inherent to the delivery of VIG that are found to be important are that it is a strength-based intervention where time is given for foster-carers to micro-analyse moments of attuned interaction. The underlying mechanisms are that of conscious awareness of the foster-carer’s skills and mentalisation. Foster-carers felt validated by the intervention; their perceptions of the behaviour of the children in their care was normalised either because it had changed or was seen differently; and they reported changes in their own behaviour. An unexpected finding was that foster-carer’s perceptions of trauma appeared reduced. The theoretical explanatory model created also explains different responses to the same intervention with a further underlying mechanism of self-protection. Self-protection is actively carried out by foster-carers to reduce the current and future risk of trauma or feeling overwhelmed. It can affect the beliefs held by the foster-carer and interactions of the foster-carer and these can influence the foster-carer’s ability to mentalise so that they can be less effective in their reflections of their own and the child’s actions with a consequent impact on the perceived quality of the relationship