Meltzer in Venice

This book focuses on adolescence and adolescent states of mind. It is one of a series that record Donald Meltzer’s clinical seminars and supervisions, which were conducted in various countries on a regular basis over many years. Despite his interest in the theoretical advances of psychoanalysis made during what he termed The Kleinian Development, Meltzer believed that clinical supervision was the only way to teach psychoanalytic practice. In effect he treated supervision as an art form just as he regarded psychoanalysis as an art form. The library of his supervision work, almost all recorded outside the UK, thus forms a valuable teaching model for future practitioners, as well as demonstrating Meltzer’s wealth of insight into both character development and analytic technique.

Foreword: the Racker Group of Venice Hugo Marquez and Maria Elena Petrilli Introduction: working with adolescents Maria Elena Petrilli 1. 'Tender your dreams in a tent': a workshop for 11-14 year olds Monique Pistolato 2. Not only homework: street educators of Venice Margherita Furlanetto and Monica Longhi, in collaboration with Maria Elena Petrilli 3. Avoiding the Oedipus complex Giuseppina Pavan 4. A potential terrorist: the conflict with anti-life forces Elena Pianezzola 5. Between aridity and hope Annamaria Mariuccia 6. Hysteria today Hugo Marquez 7. An egocentric adolescent Mauro Rossetti 8. Sleeping at his mother's breast: in the style of Oblomov Hugo Marquez 9. A case of transvestism Valeria Mozzon 10. A boy with a gentle heart: inside and outside the father's head Rudolfo Picciulin 11. On negative transference Donald Meltzer 12. Current considerations on autism Donald Meltzer Index,

Maria Elena Petrilli is a clinical psychologist who graduated in psychology at Rosario, Argentina. She lives and works in Venice as a psychotherapist and consultant for Public Health Services. In 1986, together with Hugo Màrquez and Mauro Rossetti, she founded the Racker Study Group, an association of psychotherapists from various fields of specialisation, in order to explore object relations theory in depth in the transference–countertransference. She has chaired numerous seminars with different authors, among which Dr Meltzer was a regular invited speaker for more than fifteen years.

Hugo Màrquez is a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist. He started his career in Rosario, Argentina, and after moving to Italy completed his psychotherapy training in Padua. In 1986, together with Mauro Rossetti and Maria Elena Petrilli, he founded the Racker Study Group which organises seminars and training courses for psychologists and therapists working in social-psychological institutions in the Veneto region. He has worked with Meltzer since 1988 and together with Mauro Rossetti edited Lavorando con Meltzer – Clinica del Claustrum (1998). He lives and works in Venice as a psychotherapist and trains younger therapists.

Mauro Rossetti (BSc Rosario, Argentina) did clinical training at Scuola Pichon, Buenos Aires, and is now a psychotherapist in Venice. In 1973 he became a consultant for the Regional Centre for Drug Addiction; he is a supervisor for the Street Educators Service of Venice and for family consultation in Verona. He is a co-founder of the Racker Study Group of Venice and regularly attended Dr Meltzer’s seminars and supervisions. He organises study groups on object relations theory and is co-editor of various books on Dr Meltzer’s clinical work, and editor of Mito, mistica e filosofia nel pensiero di Bion (Myth, Mystique and Philosophy in Bion’s Thinking) (Cafoscarina Press, 2008).

• Edited by Maria Elena Petrilli
• Edited by Hugo Màrquez
• Edited by Mauro Rossetti