ABSTRACT

The constantly evolving relationship between the therapist and patient lies at the heart of all psychoanalytic work and is the main vehicle for psychic change. In some respects this statement may seem surprising. The child comes to see the therapist with all manner of difficulties in his or her relationships with family and peers, and talks and plays around these themes, and yet in psychoanalytic work the most important insights which lead to deep change in the patient’s relationships and internal world are gained from what is happening in the consulting room, in the ‘here and now’ of the meeting of two people, the therapist and the child.