The past several years have seen a proliferation of programs attempting to address the needs of parents and their young children in the New York City area. By and large, these programs have been successful in creating a setting in which parents can share their parenting concerns with one another while their children begin to socialize. However, the quality and sophistication of these programs vary considerably, and none provided the expertise of trained child psychoanalysts.
To remedy this situation, in 1990 several members of the New York Psychoanalytic Society began to explore the possibility of creating a Parent Child Center. Although the idea had long been germinating, Eleanor Galenson provided the impetus that led the Board of Directors to approve the project. The planning committee included members of the Society as well as other professionals with extensive experience in early child development.
The Society and Institute addressed an important matter during the initial period: the relation between the Center on the one hand and, on the other, the Institute's training program and various research efforts by the Institute and Society. The consensus was that until the Center was clearly established and functioning well, any attempt to use it for teaching or research purposes might create unmanageable complications. It was therefore decided that the Center would remain under the aegis of the Society, working in conjunction with the Institute's Child Analysis Committee. The orientation of the Center is educational; its purpose is to help parents use their unique assets in promoting their children's development.
A space was created to provide children an informal setting in which to play with developmentally appropriate toys while parents discuss their concerns about development and child rearing with the child analyst. In addition, the child analysts conduct evening discussion groups for parents.
The Center began operation in October 1991 with two small parent-child groups. A third group was added in the spring when the number of dyads increased. Two very important facts were discovered. One was the need to reduce the fee to a level more comparable to that of other parent-child programs; the other was the need to advertise. The best source for recruiting clients was found to be a local parents newspaper that is distributed widely. To meet periodic requests for assistance to parents of children with special needs, a parent-child group has been set up to help parents meet the challenge presented by infants and young children with physical problems and to enhance attachment and bonding.
Child analysts involved in the Center are Leon Hoffman, M.D., Director; Wendy Olesker, Ph.D.; Roger A. Rahtz, M.D.; and Susan P. Sherkow, M.D. Jane D. Brill, M.Ed., has been the teacher and Marlene Nunberg, Ph.D., the administrator.