Therapeutic Communication with Children (ref. D30)
This multidisciplinary course will enhance your communication with children and their families. It is practice-based, and you will learn basic aspects of therapeutic communication.
Who is this course for?
Professionals from a wide range of disciplines, including social work, education, psychology and related fields.
Aims
To help students develop an understanding of children’s communications and of the therapeutic process.
Psychoanalytic concepts are introduced and applied to students’ current practice in order to inform and enhance the quality of their direct work with children.
Content/Teaching components
There are three teaching and learning events which run throughout the year:
- Theoretical lecture/seminar ( 1¼ hours, weekly)
- Work discussion seminar (1¼ hours, weekly)
- Individual tutorials
(¾ hour, up to two per term)
The theory seminars introduce psychoanalytic ideas through discussion, lectures, reading and reflection on work with children.
The relevance of psychoanalytic concepts to work with children is explored with reference to wide ranging clinical examples.
The work discussion seminars comprise up to six students together with a seminar leader who is a practising Child Psychotherapist.
Students will present detailed accounts of their current work with a child, basing this on careful observation of interactions. Students bring a written record to be discussed in the seminar.
Each student is allocated a personal tutor from the staff group and is entitled to at least five tutorials in the academic year.
Lecture Programme
- Term 1 A Psychodynamic Understanding of Child Development
- Term 2 Basic Theoretic Concepts in Psychodynamic Work with Children
- Term 3 Application to Particular Client Groups
Closing date
30 June 2012 (late applications maybe accepted).
Time commitment
The course runs on Monday afternoons from 1.45pm to 5.00pm.
Entry requirement
Each course member must be engaged with at least one child individually and be able to provide current material for presentation to the work discussion group.
Course Readings and Access to Library Resources
When you begin your course you will be issued with an online study pack which you can access via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Moodle. Having a Study Pack means most of your course readings for the whole year will be available to you simply by logging onto Moodle and clicking the link. The Study Pack allows you to read straight off the screen or print off hardcopy for you to read instead. Our students find this resource invaluable and it means you can have access to your readings wherever you are. Below are extracts from your course reading list which will give you an indication of the breadth of materials so easily accessible to our students.
Core Texts
Anderson, R. (1999) Play. In: Taylor, D., editor. Talking cure. Mind and method of the Tavistock Clinic, London, Duckworth. pp. 13-27. Tavistock Clinic Series
Bower, M. (2005) Psychoanalytic theory for social work practice. Thinking under fire. Hove, Routledge.
Hindle, D. and Smith, M. V., eds. (1999) Personality development. A psychoanalytic perspective. London, Routledge.
Kenrick, J. et al. eds. (2006) Creating new families. Therapeutic approaches to fostering, adoption and kinship care. London, Karnac. Tavistock Clinic Series
Lanyado, M. and Horne, A., eds. (1999) The handbook of child and adolescent psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic approaches. London, Routledge
Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 1999 vol. 19, no. 1 Special issue: Child psychotherapy. A report from the Tavistock Clinic Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. (1970) Therapeutic interaction. In Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. Psychoanalytic insight and relationships. A Kleinian approach, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 141-161
Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. (1970) Transference and counter-transference. In Salzberger-Wittenberg, I. Psychoanalytic insight and relationships. A Kleinian approach, London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, pp. 15-19
Waddell, M. (2002) Inside lives. Psychoanalysis and the development of the personality. Rev. ed. London, Duckworth. Orig. pubd.: London, Duckworths, 1998 Tavistock Clinic Series
The Tavistock and Portman Library is nationally recognised as a leading UK therapeutic resource. For more information about our library follow the link www.tavi-port.org/library
