Toward a Theory of Child-Centered Psychodynamic Family Treatment: The Anna Ornstein Reader offers a clear introduction to Anna Ornstein’s ground-breaking work on psychoanalytic child-oriented family therapy. Drawing on her writing from across her long career and including new material, the book sets out her important theoretical work on the mind, self, development, and parental influences, and the therapeutic consequences of these concepts. Anna Ornstein’s self-psychological work is unique and outstanding.
Key Features
- In-depth exploration of Ornstein's theoretical work on psychoanalytic child-oriented family therapy.
- Integration of neurobiologically-based attachment and affect regulation theory.
- Focus on the parental maturation process as central to the treatment process.
- Insights into Ornstein’s life and work, providing a thorough understanding of her concepts.
Additional Information
First published in 1974, a time when attachment and affect regulation theory had just started, Ornstein’s work has developed far-reaching ideas, therapeutic concepts, and practicable approaches for psychodynamic children and adolescence therapy, based on the concept of analytic self-psychology, which has anticipated very early results of later affect regulation and attachment research. This kind of treatment considers parental work not as only accompanying, but as central, representing the core of the treatment process. The treatment concept emphasizes that intrapsychic and interpersonal experience are in a continuous and everlasting exchange. In this book, Eva Rass offers a better understanding of Ornstein’s approach, followed by a selection of Ornstein’s significant publications, in which the central concern is clearly elaborated, to give the reader a thorough introduction and understanding of her work.
Specifications
- Suitable for professionals working with children and families in psychoanalytic settings.
- Valuable resource for students training in child psychology.
