| Abstract: | Demonstrates D. W. Winnicott's (1975) notion of the central, mutative role played by transitional experiences in the psychodynamically oriented psychotherapy of children, especially those in the oedipal and preoedipal periods. The special qualities of transitional experiences (magical, creative, free, and freeing) give both child and therapist the opportunity to transcend the child's dependent circumstances, allowing him or her to master and resolve otherwise intractable problems or traumas. The provision of an environment that fosters such experiences is as important to therapeutic change in children as are more traditional interventions such as interpretations, which, when mutative, are provided in the context of transitional experience. The cases of a 7-yr-old boy and a 5-yr-old boy illustrate such transitional experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
