The Uses of Psychoanalysis in Working with Children's Emotional Lives

Michael O’Loughlin brings compassion, insight, and understanding to his work with children. He is learned in theory and cares deeply for his subjects in practice. He shines a light on the emotions of childhood—imprinting in our minds what it is to be a child and to suffer while his work simultaneously instills hope that psychoanalytic thinking, combined with empathy, can relieve the suffering of child subjects. -- Norma Tracey, psychotherapist, Gunawirra Limited, Australia
As Nigel Williams says, this work 'is a political and cultural manifesto that challenges the split between the psychological, the social, and the political' in our work and lives with young children and their families. So many wise pedagogues over the decades, Magda Gerber, A.S. Neill, and Paulo Freire, have pushed us to consider emotions as integral to learning and to acknowledge that all work is political. Yet, here in the 21st Century when we still are being brain-washed to believe that the only teaching of value is "evidenced-based practice," we have almost lost the moral ability to critically question: Which evidence? As identified by whom? In which contexts? This work is long overdue; it crosses boundaries, transgresses, and questions how much discreet and specialized professions can really do. The scholarly underpinning of this work will offer a rationale for taking a stand in favor of emotionally-focused, child-centered work and in opposition to systems that negate the lives of children. Whether students and I are working with migrating families from war-torn communities in Central America, second generation Hmong and Latino families, or a combination of multigenerational friends and loved ones, we will treasure these stories. Thank you to Michael O’Loughlin and the contributors to this volume. -- Elizabeth P. Quintero, EdD, California State University Channel Islands