Citation

Allnutt L. J. Child Psychother. 2010; 36(1): 33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00754171003602767

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper shows a child psychotherapist learning and developing her technique as she attempts to make contact with a child who is extremely hard to reach. It is based on the first two years of three-times-weekly intensive psychotherapy of a latency girl who had little faith in a helpful therapeutic relationship. Her defences against such a relationship were entrenched and hard to shift. In this clinical work, the psychotherapist relies on close observation and her countertransference to develop a relationship with the child, in order to begin to make sense of her non-verbal emotional experience and communication.

Keywords: intensive psychotherapy; countertransference; trauma; second skin formation; projective identification; technique