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Early Relationships and Mental Health Series: Session Four
The fourth lecture in our series on Early Relationships and Mental Health will focus on a psychoanalytic approach of working with infants, toddlers, and their parents in the context of a playgroup for refugees and asylum seekers.
The 10 Windsor Walk Therapeutic Parent, Baby, and Toddler group is facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of specialists in parent-infant psychoanalysis, child psychotherapy, adult psychotherapy and group analysis. This initiative is designed to enhance parent-child relationships during the crucial early years (0-3 years) within the context of trauma in the refugee and asylum-seeking community in South London, UK.
The approach is inspired by the therapeutic playgroup model developed by psychoanalyst Anna Freud and her colleagues, based on her experiences in Vienna with homeless children during World War II. This model provides a safe space for families to explore difficult emotions and experiences without feeling pressured or threatened with the emotional support offered by staff and the opportunity for children to engage in play with their peers. Many parents in the group face mental health challenges, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety, which can affect their relationships with their children during this critical developmental phase. They often seek guidance on issues related to weaning, sleeping, socialization, and walking.
The team draws on their expertise in child development and psychoanalysis to provide support through both conversation and play at the playgroup. Our speakers will share their observations of significant improvements in the bonding between parents and children who have attended the group.
If you are interested in attending the entire Early Relationships and Mental Health Series please visit the webpage Early Relationships and Mental Health Series-Courses (trtogether.com)
This series is developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Supervision of Parent-Infant Relationships (NCSPIR). NCSPIR offers clinical supervision to practitioners and their supervisors working with parents and infants as part of the UK government’s Family Hubs and Start for Life program, which aims to improve early years services for families with children aged 0 to 2.
This presentation will describe establishing and running a therapeutic playgroup for refugees and asylum-seeking parents, their babies and toddlers. The psychoanalytic theoretical underpinnings of the model will be described, as well as the adaptations necessary for this population that have experienced loss and trauma. The therapeutic interventions will be described and illustrated A case study and video clips.
Inge-Martine Pretorius, PhD (Microbiology) and DPsych (Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy), qualified as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at the Anna Freud Centre (AFC) in London. She is a Visiting Professor at Vienna University and a Lecturer at University College London. For over 20 years she worked at the Anna Freud Centre; as Clinical Lead of the Parent-Toddler service, facilitating a therapeutic Parent-Toddler Group and Observation Seminars; organising and teaching the AFC-UCL MSc Psychoanalytic Perspectives of Child Development Course and curating Anna Freud’s Hampstead War Nursery Archives. She currently works in Private Practice and for the National Health Service, running a Child Psychotherapy Service in a nursery school in a deprived area of London. She has published in the field of molecular genetics and psychoanalysis. Inge is the Research Consultant and a clinical supervisor of the therapeutic playgroup at 10 Windsor Walk.
Fatima Martinez del Solar is a Psychoanalyst and Fellow British Psychoanalytic Society. Fatima facilitated a Parent-toddler group at the Anna Freud Centre for some years before establishing and running a therapeutic parent, baby and toddler group in Peckham which ran for 15 years. She currently works in Private Practice and at 10 Windsor Walk. Fatima is the Clinical Lead of the therapeutic playgroup project and offers weekly clinical supervision to staff at 10 Windsor Walk.
Teresa Sarmiento is a Specialist Parent Infant Psychotherapist who works in the National Health Service (NHS) and in private practice. Teresa initially trained as a Clinical Psychologist and later completed the Specialist Psychoanalytic Parent Infant Training at the Anna Freud Centre. She is the Deputy for a Parent Infant Psychology Service within the Early Years Team in the NHS, supporting parents’ mental health and their relationship with their babies during the Perinatal period. Teresa has been a co-facilitator of the therapeutic playgroup since it was established at 10 Windsor Walk.
Standard Registration: £50
Trainee, NHS staff and Third Sector: £42.50
NCSPIR Project Supervisors & Supervisees: Free
NCSPIR Discount: Please contact [email protected] for your discount code.
Trainee and NHS Discount: To qualify for this offer you need to be taking a course which provides core practitioner training in counselling or psychotherapy that is at least 1 year full time or two years part time and recognised by the BACP or UKCP. TR Together reserve the right to ask to see evidence of training being undertaken. Please contact [email protected] to recieve the discount code.
Group Rates (for 4 or more): Contact [email protected] for customised pricing.
Alumni: If you are a TR Alumni (TRAPC member) please email [email protected] for a discount code to add at checkout
Your CPD Certificate will be available to download from your TR Together account 48 hours after the event.