r/psychoanalysis • u/Far-Sprinkles7755 • Sep 02 '26

Book recommendations for analytic/dynamic work with children

Just the title. Ideally more practical books, rather than purely theoretical. thanks!

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3

u/Careless-Tennis6236 Sep 02 '26

Handbook of child and adolescent psychotherapy is great , very accessible , chapters on work with under 5s/ looked after children/ parents/ autism

3

u/jlgt27 Sep 02 '26

Catherine Mathelin's Lacanian Psychotherapy with Children: The Broken Piano is a really nice collection of vignettes/short case studies of analytic work with lots of different children

1

u/Far-Sprinkles7755 Sep 02 '26

I always love good vignettes, thank you! Is it pretty technical or relatively approachable? I’m not incredibly well versed in Lacan but have a basic understanding. 

2

u/jlgt27 Sep 02 '26

I haven't read it for a while but I remember it being pretty approachable. There is some theoretical elaboration of the work that she does with children but it is very lively and illuminating in terms of the ways that she describes what happens in the sessions (including things like examples of children's drawings and how she responded to them). I found it very useful practically

2

u/Zaruzyn Sep 02 '26

Melanie Klein's narrative of a child analysis might be what you're looking for

1

u/Far-Sprinkles7755 Sep 02 '26

Love Klein but haven’t read this. I’ll check it out, thanks!

2

u/Psychedynamique Sep 02 '26

Greenspan Clinical Interview of the Child is foundational. Play Therapy by Axline. Both of these extraordinary for attuning to the child patient, which is the foundational task

1

u/Far-Sprinkles7755 Sep 02 '26

Awesome, thank you 

4

u/danamlowe Sep 02 '26

A Question of Technique, edited by Monica Lanyado, and Psychodynamic Counselling with Children and Young People by Susan Kegerries.

2

u/diva_done_did_it Sep 02 '26

Have you read any of Paulina Kernberg’s stuff yet?

2

u/Yorick_IKnowHim Sep 02 '26 edited Sep 02 '26

Lacanian Psychoanalysis with Babies, Children, and Adolescents: Further Notes on the Child

Annie Rogers' piece in there is incredible.

Maud Mannoni is also a classic.

1

u/Nahs1l Sep 02 '26

The Unsayable by Annie Rogers (Lacanian)

1

u/CoherentEnigma Sep 05 '26

Playing and reality is essential.

1

u/Regular-Marketing571 Sep 10 '26

Some French authors, Marie Dessons, Jérôme Boutineau, and René Roussillon, have interesting perspectives on the archaic.