‘Where your mama at?’ Observations from the fishbowl: thoughts and experiences on working at a community pre-school

Abstract

This paper chronicles my time working in the American South, in a pre-school for deprived children, aged from two to four years old. The experience highlights the situations of these children and explores the environment within which they develop. This raises many questions about the unconscious processes which are possibly at work and how trauma affects the capabilities and capacities of those involved in their care. The paper gives an overview of the societal context before focusing on the individual children’s experience, and the impact of this on the staff. The author uses her subjective observations to hypothesise an understanding of the inner experience for the other. She reflects on the impact and value that child psychotherapists might bring to this environment.

Keywords:

• intergenerational trauma
• projection
• attachment
• splitting
• deprivation
• work discussion
• young child observation
• organisational observation

Acknowledgements

With gratitude to all the children, from whom I learnt so much, the staff, and the organisers of the institution. Particular thanks go to Elizabeth Richardson, Elizabeth Urban and Georgina Taylor, without whose support this piece may never have been written. In remembrance of my father, Richard Deletant.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Rowena Deletant qualified as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist (Jungian Pathway) from the British Psychotherapy Foundation (BPF). She currently works in this role at The Bridge Foundation Charity, and as Course Coordinator for ‘Psychotherapy Today’, an introductory course offered by BPF and will be leading seminars at BPF and Birkbeck, University of London from September 2016. She is Assistant Editor of the Clinical Commentary section of the Journal of Child Psychotherapy. She continues to dance in different ways.