Abstract
In this presentation I briefly tell the story of this volume and the problems encountered, to describe the difficult situation that the group psychodynamic therapy with children is living, in our country and in Europe, due to multiple factors related to the social and cultural crisis that we are facing.
Abstract
The body with its resources of sensoriality, expressions and gestures is at the centre of the scene in children’s groups, the heart of the action, imagination, invention and exchange. An individual and collective process of ongoing creation and redefinition of relations between the body, the mind and the external world is initiated around this stimulus and common catalyst. For psyche to really become creative without being limited to reality, the child needs to experiment through his body the mesh between sensory and imagination, shape and symbol, playing imaginary roles allowing him to embed the quality of objects, turning them into his own, reinventing his inside world. Through Read more
Abstract
Through the clinical material taken from the experience with therapeutic groups held at a Public Mental Health Service for children and adolescents in Rome, the group thought emerges as the individual play encounters, clashes and interweaves itself with the collective one, opening children’s minds to a multifaceted creativity.
The children who are involved in these groups almost always present an ego fragility, that makes them particularly anxious and defended in front of the others, the difficulties and the unexpected events, with a poor grip on reality and ability to control the impulses.
The small group offers them a place to re-model the behaviors, the relationships with others and with things in a setting where it can be possible to work on the imagination, the emotions and the encounter, looking for new ways to cope with the experience.
The imaginative play, both individual and collective, helps children to break free from the compulsory actions and vicious circles of fears.
Finally, it allows them to imagine new strategies and narrative plots in which they can play Read more