Editorial

This December 1997 edition of the journal bears witness, with the addition of a subtitle to our name, to the increasingly international spread of our work. The subtitle, ‘International clinical and theoretical contributions on work with infants, children, adolescents and their families’, reflects not only the growing international profile of our profession, but also better describes the scope of the work we do. In addition, this particular issue also demonstrates the increasing focus we need to maintain on how political and social developments around the world impact on the work. This is addressed here through a sub-section on trauma, and the edition also includes research into turning points, preventive work and the potentiating factors which pave the way to healthier functioning.

In ‘Laughter opens the door’, Gunnar Carlberg from Stockholm examines the fascinating subject of turning points in treatment. His research involved work with five child psychotherapists, who were interviewed just after a session with a child where they noticed something qualitatively new in terms of the child's expression of internal world dynamics. Follow-up interviews with the therapists, their own supervision and parallel work with parents are described. This paper researches something which lies at the heart of our work, and is an important contribution to our understanding.

Giuliana De Astis from Rome describes work with young autistic/psychotic children which includes an interesting way of working with parents that has been established for a number of years in Rome. Her paper, ‘Thoughts about the development of a potential space in the psychoanalytic treatment of infantile psychosis’, draws on Winnicott's concept of the growth of ‘potential space’ in therapy as part of the recovery process. She illustrates her thesis with three cases, one of which includes a complete session of joint mother-child work, highlighting the difficulties of creating this potential space.

Rachael Henry and he