Customer Reviews

Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry

Clinicans and theoreticians will do well to find a copy of this rare classic. Here, Winnicott is at his best, describing with insight and sensitivity the care and treatment of his patients.

The first case described is a young boy named "Iiro" who spoke no English. Dr. Winnicott spoke no Finnish and in spite of a fairly serious barrier, the two communicated with a depth and effectiveness not often found in psychotherapy.

Throughout the text, Dr. Winnicott describes children, adolescents (and one adult) who suffer from various degrees of neurotic, borderline, and psychotic anxieties. His use of a long consultation interview (the "therapeutic consultation" of the title) and his use of the "Sguiggle Game" (an interactive drawing technique) allow Dr. Winnicott to achieve remarkable depth and results in a short time.

Dr. Winnicott also describes his ideas of what is going on in his interviews, his theoretical take on the processes he describes, and includes many of the drawings from the Squiggle games his young patients engaged in.

Those who are "in the know" will be seeking this book as an essential addition to their bookshelf. Those who have yet to be touched by the magic of the gentle doctor from England will be well rewarded in his reading.