ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the scene for the chapters based on detailed clinical material which follow. Why should psychoanalytical psychotherapy with individual children, whether or not in conjunction with other forms of support, have a place as treatment of choice for many adopted children and young people who are in diffi culty? What form does this work take, and what are its distinguishing characteristics? What are the problems in relationships and communication which face children who have been exposed to early deprivation or damage? And how is this particular form of treatment, with its understanding of unconscious processes, adapted to deal with disturbances which are being expressed not only in words but also at a pre-verbal and non-verbal level?
