Taylor, Lynne (2017) How can a child psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessment contribute to the understanding of the individual experiences of children who are refugees? Professional Doctorate thesis, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust/University of East London. Full text available

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Abstract

A small scale research project was undertaken to explore how child psychoanalytic psychotherapy assessments could contribute to an understanding of refugee children who were living with their parent(s) in the UK. A literature review examined previous research and clinical work relating to child psychotherapy research, assessment, trauma and loss, work with refugees and research from other modalities. The research was conducted within a specialist refugee service in a NHS CAMHS clinic. The research method was adapted from previous work (Bradley, 2013) and comprised of 4 assessment sessions, an initial appointment with the child and their parent(s) and a follow up appointment with parents. Participants were 3 children aged 9 years old. Detailed observation notes were written after each session and analysed using a thematic analysis technique (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The child psychotherapy assessments demonstrated that each child had individual ways of understanding and relating to their experiences, growing up as refugees living with their families in the UK. Findings that were common to the children were; sensitivity to separations from their family and the end of the sessions, re-enactment of refugee experiences, ‘best’ behaviour, denial, feelings of deprivation and loss, impact of parental mental health and trauma, good experiences in school. The children showed differences in how they related and responded to issues of identity, understanding their own refugee experiences and the defences they used when anxious. Implications for clinical work related to how clinicians may respond to states of deprivation, loss, and trauma by ‘wanting to do more and more’ and the need for careful consideration of issues relating to the institution, interpreters, time boundaries, parental mental health and trauma, anger and ordinary child developmental tasks faced by the children and families. Child psychotherapy assessments were found to be able to contribute to identifying needs for some accompanied children, and additional parent work/parent individual work was recommended. Further research in child psychotherapy assessment and working with refugees was recommended.

Item Type:	Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Additional Information:	Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and the University of East London for the degree of Professional Doctorate in Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Professional Doctorate in Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, University of East London, 2023 additions
Subjects:	Children, Young People and Developmental Pyschology > Child Development Children, Young People and Developmental Pyschology > Child Psychotherapy Groups & Organisations > Refugees - Psychology Research, Tests, Assessments > Psychotherapy Research
Department/People:	Children, Young Adult and Family Services Research
URI:	https://repository.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/id/eprint/2748

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