Psychotherapy with Severely Deprived Children: Introduction: The Tavistock Workshop

Severely deprived children have often been considered to be too emotionally damaged to be reachable by psychotherapy. Moreover, the practical difficulties of arranging regular attendance at a clinic for children who are “in Care” may seem insuperable. However, some attempts at treating severely deprived children have been published in previous issues of this journal (Boston, 1972; Newbolt, 1971; Henry, 1974). These cases suggested the possibility of a hopeful outcome, in spite of the difficulties experienced in the course of therapy.

In the Department for Children and Parents at the Tavistock Clinic, a gradually increasing number of children “in Care”, living in Children's Homes or in foster care, have in recent years been offered psychoanalytical psychotherapy. Keith and Eileen, described in the two papers which follow, are two of these children. As more such cases came into treatment in the department, a workshop was set up in order to study and review the experience gained. Twenty-two cases have so far been discussed. The sample was selected on the basis that the therapist be available and able to present the case for discussion at the workshop. It includes the majority of children “in Care” currently in psychotherapy in the Department for Children and Parents. (Five other children in psychotherapy have not so far been discussed because of unavailability of the therapist). Some parents who have experienced deprivation in childhood have also been presented. With the exception of one case, regular attendance in psychotherapy has been established with all the children and the patients seem to have been able to make considerable use of the opportunity. The frequency of sessions has varied from once to five times weekly. Most are still in treatment and have attended for longish periods of time.

Of course we do not know how representative of children in care these patients are. They may constitute a highly selected sample. It may be that there was something about these p