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This book is a collection of papers written by Ann Horne, covering a wide range of work with young people, many of whom she treated at the Portman Clinic in London, a specialist
outpatient forensic service. These young people were referred to the Portman due to their violence, delinquency, sexually perverse or abusive behaviour. However, although they are at the more severely disturbed end of the spectrum, Ann’s knowledge and experience of working with these patients sheds light on our daily work as child psychotherapists as a whole, helping us understand children whose early trauma, abuse and deprivation have disrupted their development and their capacity to trust and relate to others.
Ann Horne’s dry Scots humour and kindly straightforward approach reveals a depth of understanding and openness to new ideas. She treats every child as an individual, whose actions have a meaning that we need to try to understand, however disturbing the history and the behaviour may be. She recognises that there is a pressure on the psychotherapist and the professionals for a rapid solution to such young people’s risky behaviour, but this can result in a quick reactive response that is detrimental to the child. She argues for those working together to take time for reflection before acting, in order to ensure that the child’s long term needs for safety, stability and therapeutic understanding are met.
The author writes from an Independent perspective, which she explores in Chapter Two, pointing out how suited this approach is to traumatised young people, with its emphasis on recognising the impact of the environment and real life experiences on the developing child. Aggression is seen as self-protective, while pathological aggression is considered a reaction to impingements from the environment, actual or assumed. The therapeutic relationship is considered a key factor in recovery, offering a new experience to the troubled child. She summarises:
With Fairbairn, Ferenczi and Winnicott