Editorial

This is a general edition of the Journal which once again reflects the wide range of work undertaken by child psychotherapists and the continued creative application of the profession in different settings. All of the papers presented here, from very different vantage points, approach the complex and enduring question of what enables therapeutic change: from the perspective of clinician-researcher, examining the therapeutic process and what actually takes place in the consulting room (the articles by Salomonsson and Goodman); from a clinical standpoint, exploring some familiar issues of technique with a ‘hard to reach’ patient (Della Rosa) and from the perspective of a child psychotherapist in a community outreach setting, highlighting how a psychoanalytic perspective may enable us – and our patients – to survive in uncertain times (Argent). We also have a contribution from Mary Brady which interweaves theory, literature and clinical practice and provides a striking illustration of the many diverse sources that inform and enrich our daily practice. We hope that the balance between clinical and research-oriented papers provides a stimulating read.

The edition opens with another rich and thought-provoking article by Björn Salomonsson in which he addresses the process of change in toddler–parent psychotherapy. Employing a psychoanalytically based technique that emphasises the therapist’s interaction with the child in the presence of the parent (Salomonsson, 2015), the author explores the question of how joint work with a mother and young child can influence the child, despite limitations in the toddler’s verbal understanding. Sensitive clinical material demonstrates in vivid detail the toddler’s responses to communications from both his mother and the therapist. But what, the author asks, does the child actually perceive in the therapeutic interchange, how does this affect him and how do such processes work? Salomonsson usefully integrates neuroscientific and experiment