The merman: recovering from early abuse and loss

Abstract

This paper explores once-weekly psychotherapy with a 10-year-old boy who had been physically abused and spent six years in various foster-homes before being placed with his birth father and family. This case has many parallels with the experience of late adopted children who may struggle to think about and emotionally digest the experiences of their early lives, while also facing the challenge of joining a new family. This boy's longing for, resentment of and identification with his birth mother were actively communicated through drawings and re-enactments. His expectation of an object as unpredictable and unreliable made it difficult for him to apprehend different experiences with his family and in therapy. Exploring the nature of his internal objects and gradually enabling him to bring feeling and thought into closer proximity provided one way of giving meaning to experiences he could not remember or understand. Technical difficulties in working with a child who actively flaunted the boundaries of the sessions are considered, as is the importance of a containing network surrounding the child.

Keywords:

• Loss
• Foster-CARE
• Re-ENACTMENT
• Psychotherapeutic Work