What 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).
