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Simon W is a thirteen-year-old boy referred because of difficulties at school where he was frequently bullied by the other children.
He started analytic treatment after being assessed at a child guidance centre where a recommendation for psychoanalytic treatment was made. Three years earlier Simon had been tested by a psychologist when his problems at school first came to light. However no attempt to seek help for the child was made at that stage.
The issue was taken up again when the mother consulted her doctor about a persistent cough which defied all sorts of medical treatment. During this consultation she revealed that she was thinking of divorcing her husband. The doctor referred them to the marriage guidance clinic at their local hospital and it was there that it was suggested to them that they should seek help for Simon's problems. The referral was made directly by the father whose main concern was that Simon was failing academically and becoming demoralized because of it.
The Ws come from Jewish people who have lived in the Middle East for at least six generations. The family have been living permanently in this country for the last six or seven years, after leaving their country for political reasons. However they had known England before, having lived here at an earlier period, and in fact Simon was born here. Both the parents and Simon missed their country enormously although they knew that they would not go back at present. Their families come from a traditionally close-knit community and are related.
There was little mention at the first interview of any problems with Simon's seven-year-old brother Paul, who the parents enthusiastically agreed was ‘a lovely perfectly normal boy’. However this younger boy who is now eight was recently referred by the school to the child guidance centre where he was found to be much more disturbed than Simon, and a recommendation was made for once-weekly psychotherapy. This boy was born with a congenital abnormality of the he