Main description:

This title presents a fascinating account of the work of a child psychiatrist - a ray of hope. In an age where the 'misery memoir' has turned childhood into an endless tale of doom and gloom, these transformative stories provide a ray of hope, demonstrating that with the requisite attention, affection and commitment, metamorphoses can truly take place. "Metamorphoses" is an account of one man's experience in the field of child psychiatry over four decades, and some of the remarkable changes in practice and experience over that time. James Rogers spent much of his career at the Department of Child Psychiatry at the Crichton Royal Hospital in Dumfries, Scotland. Here he set up and ran a pioneering residential children's unit run by a team of dedicated care staff, educational psychologists, teachers and occupational therapists. "Metamorphoses" provides compelling and often profoundly moving case studies, examining the children's backgrounds, diagnoses, treatment and outcomes. At the same time the author presents, discusses and debates many of the theories and practices that were the cornerstones of much of this work.