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Early transitions: Child psychotherapy in a school nursery
No full textThis chapter gives a short history of the relationship between Tavistock child psychotherapy approaches and education, looking at how child psychotherapists and teaching staff have worked together in different and evolving ways since the 1930s when child psychoanalytic psychotherapy came into practice. It looks at how many child psychotherapists started out as teachers and then returned to schools to work with staff and children in a different capacity and how, over the years, child psychotherapists and teachers have found creative ways to work together, through Tavistock courses and in-school services providing staff consultation, work discussion groups, individual and group therapy. It shows how child psychotherapists have at times been based in education services, at others in health services, but have always been dual citizens, taking their thinking and services out of clinics and into school communities
Teachers’ discourses around accountability measures and low-attaining pupils: How an economic model of education has commoditised children
Get PDFIn a bid to raise standards in education, policy has defined an accountability system for schools including Ofsted inspections, league tables and teacher performance management, that is underpinned by high-stakes testing. Pupils that fall below expected levels are regarded as ‘low-attaining’ and contribute to data which suggest schools have not met required standards. The present research explored GCSE teachers’ discourses around accountability measures and low-attaining pupils, and how these discourses upheld and/or challenged the structures in place that enable the system. A focus group was conducted with seven teachers who taught Year 11 in a high-performing secondary school. The transcript was analysed using Fairclough’s (2015) three-dimensional framework; a procedure for Critical Discourse Analysis. This framework required analysis at a micro-, meso- and macro- level, the latter of which was done using a Marxist lens. The findings illuminated three overarching discourses: ‘the ‘high-stakes’ nature of accountability measures is pervasive and all consuming’, ‘low-attaining pupils are problematic, with little value’ and ‘the structures in place that enable the system are upheld through avoidance’. The Marxist analysis proposed that the marketisation of schools has led to pupils being seen as commodities, with exam data as currency. This has led to differing levels of value being placed on pupils depending on the data they are able to produce. This has resulted in low-attaining pupils being seen as having little value, and not worthy of investment. The analysis suggests that this view of pupils contradicts teachers’ value systems creating cognitive dissonance, which they are motivated to reduce to continue working in the current education environment, ultimately upholding the structures in place
Evidencing child psychoanalytic psychotherapy in primary schools: A case example
No full textWith research evidence for the effectiveness of child psychoanalytic psychotherapy in primary schools in short supply, and resources scarce, service leads must find innovative ways of using audit and routine outcome monitoring data to provide evidence to funders and schools. In this chapter, we take one service providing psychoanalytic psychotherapy in primary schools, the Tavistock Outreach in Primary Schools (TOPS) project, as a case example. Drawing on reports provided to funders and the first author’s experience of evaluating an innovative project over many years, the authors demonstrate how such a service can bring the work of the project alive by combining formal measures, questionnaires designed specifically for the service, and impressionistic accounts from parents and teachers
A parent's experience of child psychotherapy approaches in a primary pupil referral unit: Lena [interview]
No full textIn this chapter, a mother, Lena, describes her experiences of child psychotherapy support in a pupil referral unit for her son, Alek, who was 7 years old when he moved there, having reached crisis point at his primary school. She describes her “morale and confidence being at zero” when they arrived, but how, gradually, they began to understand more about the nature of his problems by getting a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder and through Alek’s long-term individual and group therapy. In conversation with Alek’s therapist, Fiona Henderson, they together remember years of “two steps forward, one step back” during his time at the unit and how, against the odds, he made it back into mainstream school for his secondary education
What lies beneath: How organisations really work
No full textThis book looks beyond the public face and below the surface of organisations. Using a deceptively easy-to-read and accessible narrative concerning eight international organisations, it covers many fields: real estate, banking, finance, retail, market research, wildlife reserve, fashion, and IT. Each case presents a particular situation or event ranging from dealing with conflict to working with culture and team dynamics.
Opened by an incisive foreword from Vega Zagier Roberts, there comes a clear introduction of the authors journey so far within the field of organisation development. Each compelling story demonstrates the complexity of working with organisational problems. The supervision conversations captured within clearly show how consultants can get caught up in and derailed by the dynamics of the organisational system.
This book is written for those who work in and with organisations for founders and executives, for leaders and managers, and especially for other organisational consultants and those who work with or are considering working with them. Through these accounts, the authors encourage interest and curiosity in a way of working with what lies beneath the surface
Children's group psychotherapy in a mainstream primary school
No full textAn innovative form of group psychotherapy with children in a primary school is presented. After providing a brief overview of the technical and theoretical framework underpinning group psychotherapy with children and exploring the reasons for undertaking this type of clinical intervention in schools, an account of the group therapy as it unfolded is given. In this work, a child group psychotherapy frame of reference was used in conjunction with Mindfulness technique and drawing-led activities. This account of group therapy will bring to light the richness of integrating different approaches, especially when working in outreach
“I'm not just picking up the child, I'm picking up the family”: The experiences of school staff working with children of parents with mental health difficulties.
Get PDFThis research study aimed to explore the experiences of school staff working with children living with parents who are known to have mental health difficulties. Whilst acknowledging the potential vulnerability of this population, both charities and families themselves report that these children’s needs are often invisible to the professionals working with their parents. Considering the role of school staff in promoting and protecting pupils’ mental wellbeing, they are well placed to support children who are facing such difficulties at home. Despite the prevalence of mental health difficulties amongst parents, there is currently no research within the United Kingdom that has sought to explore how school staff experience working with the inevitably large population of children impacted in this way. Eight Pastoral Support Leads from primary school settings were recruited to take part in semi-structured interviews. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four overarching themes emerged from participants’ experiences: ‘Compelled to Care’, ‘Journeying with Families’, ‘Expectation to Find Solutions’, and ‘Frustrated, Fearful and Fighting Alone’. Findings are presented and then considered within the context of relevant existing literature and theoretical frameworks. The implications for Educational Psychology practice and the education system as a whole are further discussed, alongside limitations of this study and suggested areas for future research
Working from the margins. Conversations on the development of systemic psychotherapy at the Tavistock Clinic
No full textFeatures interviews with many current and past members of staff
Impact of self-doubts on leaders at a point of transition in the workplace
No full textInner self-critical voices are scrutinising, attacking, and discouraging. They are also a pervasive part of human nature, which seems to have become more dominant in current times. This qualitative research study examines the effects of self-doubts and self-criticism on individuals holding a leadership role at a point of transition in the workplace. Taking a systems-psychodynamic perspective, this study aims to explore the origins and consequences of self-doubts, looking at both the individual (intra-psychic) perspective as well as the systemic (psycho-social) aspect of self-doubts. Situated within the social-constructivist paradigm, case study was chosen as a research design strategy and Grounded Theory methodology was used for data analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of eight participants in leadership positions who had experienced a role transition while working in commercial organisations. Key findings suggest that the impact of self-doubts might be linked to the individual’s self-worth, sense of belonging, and need for external validation. An elite group identity, created as a social-defence mechanism, is collectively and unconsciously developed by members of an organisation to deal with self-doubts anxiety. Looking beyond the individual’s intra-psychic experience, another significant finding in this study is linked to the specific characteristics of the wider organisational and societal contexts in which these leaders operate, and the impacts of these characteristics on these individuals. The overlap between the individual and the system seems to create a re-enforcing cycle of self-doubts anxiety, which might have detrimental consequences for individuals and organisations. On this basis, it is recommended to create space for self-reflection and interventions at individual, group, and organisational levels, using an integrative approach to deal with the impact of self-doubts
First name basis with Dr. Stephen Blumenthal
No full textDr. Stephen Blumenthal discusses Social Claustrophobia; a psychological consequence of enforced closeness