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‘Maybe you don't actually exist’: Containing shame and self‐harm in a school counselling service
No full textIn this paper, I argue that the school counsellor occupies a liminal position in the school environment, on the boundary between the private and the public, and that this position intrinsically reflects the paradoxical nature of shame, at once hidden and viewed. I review arguments that locate the development of primitive shame in early containment failure, with shame being defended against by rage against others or the self. I argue that the school counsellor's position commonly oscillates through the three positions of the child–home–school triangle, but that this is felt particularly acutely when the dynamics projected through this triangle are those of shame and shaming. For adolescents, the paradoxical nature of shame also finds a counterpart in self-harm, a simultaneously hidden and viewed act which I see as a mapping of shame on the body. In exploring the operation of shame in self-harming students, I also argue that chance encounters between counsellor and student in the external school world render projections about intimacy, intrusion and shame particularly powerful
Infant observation and the Tavistock model of teaching and learning: Continuity and change
No full textThis paper reviews the changing context of infant observation from the teaching perspective. It considers the benefits of infant observation (Bick's method) as set out by Martha Harris in 1976, and the challenges and opportunities posed to infant observation seminar leaders. These include the widening cultural, educational and social background of observers, the choice of family and the broader definition of what constitutes an ordinary family. The clinical context of public sector psychotherapy and its increasing emphasis on evidence-based work is also considered as a factor bearing on the seminar leader's capacities
Whose memories are they and where do they go? Problems surrounding internalization in children on the autistic spectrum
No full textRecent work in neuroscience has highlighted the contrast between ‘procedural’ memory for bodily experiences and skills, which is unconscious though unrepressed, and verbalizable, ‘declarative’ memory, which includes autobiographical memory. Autobiographical memory is weak in people with autistic spectrum disorder, who frequently turn to self‐generated sensations for reassurance that they continue to exist. The author suggests that, instead of internalizing shared experiences leading to growth, children with autism can feel that they add to themselves by taking over the qualities of others through the ‘annexation’ of physical properties that leads to a damaged object and can trigger a particular sort of negative therapeutic reaction. Clinical illustrations drawn from the treatment of two children on the autistic spectrum illustrate some ramifications of these processes in relation to the sense of a separate identity and the capacity to access memories
Evaluation of the application of infant observation in the training of frontline professionals working with children and families
No full textUnderstanding children's needs when parents separate
No full textOne in four children experiences the separation/divorce of their parents by the time they reach 16 years. When parents separate levels of conflict can be high and significant changes in family relationships continue to take place over time. Whilst in emotional distress themselves, parents often manage to pay attention to the needs of their children and it is this parental support which helps children and young people through this transition.
When emotions are heightened for the adults, however, there are occasions when the needs of the children can be easily overlooked. Throughout this time of turmoil and bereavement it is often the school that provides the children with a secure base.
This practical resource will provide schools with a comprehensive understanding of the needs of children and how it is possible to work with them and their families to face the challenging times in their lives