The observational role at the time of Covid-19. Experiences and reflections from observation students in northern Italy

ABSTRACT

This article relates the experience of interruption to the infant observations of five student observers in AIPPI, Milan, due to the health emergency caused by Covid-19. It goes on to describe the resumption of observation by means of video-observations and, later, observations in person by observers-in-masks. The new ‘meeting’ of the families required great efforts from the students in finding an internal and external ‘relocation’ of the observer position. It also required working through the great frustration caused by the interruption. In parallel, the observed families also had to adjust to the new mode of meeting and had to take up a new position, usually more active, in handling the essential equipment for video connection. Last but not least, adaptation was required of the babies, who found creative, subjective and, at times, distressing ways to relocate themselves and to try to approach the observers. Despite the difficulties, all five of the observations were completed and, according to the observers it proved possible to be in touch with the babies’ internal worlds and to observe their growth and development up to two years of age, despite the unusual and ‘ground-breaking’ modes adopted.

KEYWORDS:

• Covid-19 pandemic
• video-infant-observations
• face-mask
• internal world

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Association of Italian Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists – AIPPI Milan-Genova and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust/ University of Essex Postgraduate Diploma/Master’s course Working with Children, Families and Young People: a Psychoanalytic Observational Approach.

2 All the children’s names are changed for reasons of confidentiality.

3 We decided to use two excerpts from observations which were also quoted in the companion paper to this, written paper by our seminar leader, Dr. Patrizia Gatti, also published in this issue. We did so specifically to describe and link our different perspectives and feelings about the same experiences.

4 In spite of our own frustration, faults, and the shortcomings of the devices and the internet connection, our efforts enabled us to recreate and recover the regular observation time and the external and internal settings allowed us to take in our infants’ and their families’ emotional atmosphere and to be in deep contact with their internal world.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Danila di Pasquale

Danila di Pasquale, child neuropsychiatrist.

Serena Galliera

Serena Galliera, psychologist and psychotherapist.

Silvia Rosati

Silvia Rosati, Psychologist and psychoterapist.

Paola Grimaldi

Paola Grimaldi, psychologist and psychotherapist.

Francesca Stolfi

Francesca Stolfi, pedagogist and art therapist.