hat place do Anna Freud's ideas have in the history
of psychoanalysis? What can her writings teach us today
about how to work therapeutically with children? Are her
psychoanalytic ideas still relevant to those entrusted
with the welfare of infants and young people? Reading
Anna Freud provides an accessible introduction to the
writings of one of the most significant figures in the
history of psychoanalysis. Each chapter introduces a
number of her key papers, with clear summaries of the
main ideas, historical background, a discussion of the
influence and contemporary relevance of her thinking,
and recommendations for further reading. Areas covered
include Anna Freud's writings on: * The theory and
practice of child analysis and 'developmental therapy' *
The application of psychoanalytic thinking to education,
paediatrics and the law * The assessment and diagnosis
of childhood disorders * Psychoanalytic research and
developmental psychopathology Nick Midgley draws on his
extensive experience as a child psychotherapist and a
teacher to bring Anna Freud's ideas to life.He
illustrates the remarkable originality of her thinking,
and shows how analytic ideas can be used not only in
child psychotherapy, but also to inform the care of
children in families, hospitals, classrooms, residential
care and the court-room. Reading Anna Freud will be of
interest to child therapists, child analysts and
psychoanalysts, as well as others working in the field
of child and adolescent mental health, such as clinical
psychologists, child psychiatrists and educational
psychologists. It also has much to offer to those
entrusted with the care of children in a wide range of
settings - including teachers, nurses and social workers
- for whom Anna Freud was always keen to demonstrate the
value of a psychoanalytic approach. Nick Midgley trained
as a child and adolescent psychotherapist at the Anna
Freud Centre, where he now works as a clinician and as
Programme Director for the MSc in Developmental
Psychology and Clinical Practice.Nick has written
articles on a wide range of topics and is joint editor
of Minding the Child: Mentalization-based Interventions
with Children, Young People and their Families
(Routledge, 2012) and Child Psychotherapy and Research:
New Directions, Emerging Findings (Routledge,
2009) |
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