Learning from the Unconscious

Designed to give both students and practitioners access to the experience of engaging with a dynamic unconscious, this volume investigates some of the key tenets and principles of psychoanalytic theory and demonstrates ways in which educational psychologists have used both theory and practice in their roles.

As individuals engaged with children and those around them, educational psychologists enter a multitude of systems and relationships with the intention of helping. This often involves working in a context of confusion, conflict and creativity, a dynamic tension which is reflected in the chapters of this book. Designed to give both students and practitioners access to the experience of engaging with a dynamic unconscious, this volume investigates some of the key tenets and principles of psychoanalytic theory and demonstrates ways in which educational psychologists have used both theory and practice in their roles. Each chapter approaches a recognisable activity from educational psychology practice and provides an account of how psychoanalytic theories about our unique inner worlds and our unconscious processes can inform and enrich these interactions.

Acknowledgements Introduction About the authors Foreword by Dr Mark Fox Part I - Orientation 1. Psychoanalysis and educational psychology: context, theory and challenges Part II - Theory to practice 2. The use of psychoanalytic concepts in educational psychology practice 3. Thinking matters: how can Bion's theory of thinking help educational psychologists think about the task of formulation? 4. What's yours and what's theirs? Understanding projection, transference and countertransference in educational psychology practice 5. The classroom-in-the-mind: psychoanalytic reflections on classroom practice Part III - Assessment 6. Educational psychological assessment: a psychoanalytic approach 7. The use of projective techniques in educational psychology assessments Part IV - Consultation and supervision 8. A distinctive helping relationship: historical and contemporary perspectives on psychodynamic thinking in consultation 9. The use of self in consultation: data from the 'total situation' 10. Feelings, relationships and 'being held': the experience of psychodynamically informed supervision Part V - Working with groups 11. Reverie groups: space, free association and the recovery of thought 12. Providing 'good enough care': work discussion groups as a reflective space for designated safeguarding leads Part VI - Organisational perspectives 13. Coaching school leaders: a psychoanalytic approach 14. Social defences: managing the anxiety of work Part VII - Postscript: widening the horizon 15. The psyche as a complex system: insights from chaos theory References Index,

Acknowledgements
Introduction
About the authors
Foreword by Dr Mark Fox

Part I – Orientation
1. Psychoanalysis and educational psychology: context, theory and challenges

Part II – Theory to practice
2. The use of psychoanalytic concepts in educational psychology practice
3. Thinking matters: how can Bion’s theory of thinking help educational psychologists think about the task of formulation?
4. What’s yours and what’s theirs? Understanding projection, transference and countertransference in educational psychology practice
5. The classroom-in-the-mind: psychoanalytic reflections on classroom practice

Part III – Assessment
6. Educational psychological assessment: a psychoanalytic approach
7. The use of projective techniques in educational psychology assessments

Part IV – Consultation and supervision
8. A distinctive helping relationship: historical and contemporary perspectives on psychodynamic thinking in consultation
9. The use of self in consultation: data from the ‘total situation’
10. Feelings, relationships and ‘being held’: the experience of psychodynamically informed supervision

Part V – Working with groups
11. Reverie groups: space, free association and the recovery of thought
12. Providing ‘good enough care’: work discussion groups as a reflective space for designated safeguarding leads

Part VI – Organisational perspectives
13. Coaching school leaders: a psychoanalytic approach
14. Social defences: managing the anxiety of work

Part VII – Postscript: widening the horizon
15. The psyche as a complex system: insights from chaos theory

References
Index

• Edited by Christopher Arnold
• Edited by Xavier Eloquin
• Edited by Dale Bartle

'This is a great book and an enjoyable read which I would recommend for all educational psychologists ... chapters discuss a wide range of practical applications of psychoanalytic theory; with individual children and young people as well as considering school leaders, groups of school staff and work which has its focus upon whole organisations and their structures. There is much to be learnt, or reminded of, from reading this book.'

— Dr Cate Mullen, West Sussex Educational Psychology Service

'This volume [carries] a central message that should be of value to educational psychologists of every stripe. The authors endorse using ‘emotion as evidence’ — one’s own, and that of other(s) — which, when combined with objective data, can lead to a better appreciation of the ‘total situation’ in consultations, classrooms, and other groups. I recommend this volume, a potent humanist collection, to all interested professionals and students.'

— Linda A.W. Brakel, MD, is a faculty member in Psychiatry and Philosophy at the University of Michigan and the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute

'The contributions in this volume impressively demonstrate that psychoanalytic concepts are very well suited to understanding the particular problems of children, their families, professionals and institutions in the field of education ... a great asset for all those who are looking for a compass for orientation in the world of education.'

— Prof Dr Christoph Steinebach, is President of the European Federation of Psychological Associations and faculty member at the School for Applied Psychology, ZHAW, Switzerland