ABSTRACT

Transforming Despair to Hope: Reflections on the Psychotherapeutic Process with Severely Neglected and Traumatised Children offers a thorough overview of the problems and rewards of trying to help severely neglected and traumatised children. Drawing on over 40 cyears of clinical experience, Monica Lanyado provides a historical and social perspective on this challenging population, as well as helpful theoretical frameworks and thoughtful support for all professionals and clinicians working with these children.

This book brings together selected past writings and new chapters from Lanyando. In it she describes the consequences of severe neglect and trauma on a child’s emotional development, and then goes on to examine what it is that brings about positive change. By using vivid clinical examples of therapeutic practice with these children, she elucidates the difficulties associated with this population, as well as for those who care for them in families and in residential settings.

Transforming Despair to Hope is a valuable resource for child and adolescent mental health professionals and trainee clinicians, as well as those in related fields working with children in need.

chapter 2|16 pages

The historical and social context

Influences on the treatment of severely neglected and traumatised children today

chapter 4|16 pages

Complex traumatic childhood losses

Mourning and acceptance, endingsand beginnings

chapter 5|14 pages

Playing out, not acting out

The development of the capacity to play in the therapy of childrenwho are ‘in transition’ fromfostering to adoption (2008)

chapter 6|18 pages

The playful presence of the therapist

‘Antidoting’ defences in the therapy of a late-adopted adolescent patient (2006)

chapter 7|18 pages

Transition and change

An exploration of the resonancesbetween transitional and meditativestates of mind and their role in thetherapeutic process (2012)

chapter 8|16 pages

The impact of listening on the listener

Consultation to the helpingprofessions who work with sexuallyabused young people (2009)

chapter 9|18 pages

Transforming despair to hopein the treatment of extremetrauma

A view from the supervisor’s chair (2016)