Main description:

The family begins with the parental couple; it is they who create the family. This book explores the way in which the child or any member of the family can carry unresolved projections arising from the parents' families of origin: their family within, and the difficulties this internal family presents for the therapist.

The model developed in this book explores psychoanalytically based ideas about infant development and applies them to the internal world of couples and families. It presents both a clear explanation of these theories as well as case histories that show how these ideas work in practice. The developmental model presented offers an original perspective on the wide range of problems that many couple and family therapists struggle with. These problems can be understood in the context of the family within, the way in which the family of origin dynamics have been internalised. This shared understanding between the couple and family and the therapist provides a path to greater maturity and therefore a greater capacity to cope with life's vicissitudes.

Working with Developmental Anxieties in Couple and Family Psychotherapy presents both a clear theoretical framework for understanding the development of the couple and family, and a practical application for these ideas. Case studies bring the model to life through illustrating both the problems of the family or couple and the difficulties of the work. It will appeal to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, couples and family therapists.

Contents:

Part One: Theory and Practice Introduction: The Family Within: A Developmental Focus on Family and Couple Psychotherapy Penny Jools Chapter One : The Couple and Family in Mind Jenny Berg Chapter Two: The Developmental Framework Noela Byrne and Jenny Berg Chapter Three: The Dynamics of Coupledom Noela Byrne and Maria Kourt Chapter Four: Containment and its Challenges Penny Jools and Jenny Berg Chapter Five: Finding the Patient in Couple and Family Psychotherapy George Haralambous and Penny Jools Part Two: Case Studies in Developmental Anxieties Chapter Six: A Bad Moment with the Light: the Role of Autistic-Contiguous Anxieties in a Couple's Sexual Difficulties Jenny Berg Chapter Seven: Gathering Fragments: Early steps in the Evolution of a Creative Coupling Julia Meyerowitz-Katz Chapter Eight : Understanding and Working with No-sex Couples: a Developmental Perspective Lissy Abrahams Chapter Nine: Children of Oedipus: Oedipal Anxieties in Couple and Family Work Penny JoolsPart Three Chapter Ten: Couple Psychotherapy through the Lens of Attachment Noela Byrne Chapter Eleven: Learning from Experience. Laurie Lovell-Simons and Penny Jools Concluding Thoughts Penny Jools GlossaryPenny Jools