Abstract
This is the story of a little girl who was fragile and unsure of how much things in her world could be sustained. She was unsure of herself as a person who could continue "going on being" (Winnicott, 1956b, p. 303), and she was unsure of relationships, holding on tight for fear they would not survive. Part of her survival strategy was to "merge" with others, in order to give herself some sense of strength from the outside (Winnicott, 1956a). Her therapy provided her with an opportunity to explore some of these feelings to explore the fragility of her sense of self, and to explore how she could feel stronger within herself when she was given consistency and reliability. She took to the sessions in a remarkably playful and open manner, using the art activities, the relationship with the art therapist, and the materials themselves in ways which helped her to explore her fragile feelings and to express her need for reliability and consistency. The art therapy sessions helped her to develop a stronger sense of self.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Transgenerational Trauma and the Aboriginal Child: Healing Through Intervention |
| Editors | Norma Tracey |
| Place of Publication | U.S. |
| Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield |
| Pages | 175-196 |
| Number of pages | 22 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781442235502 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781442235496 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Keywords
- preschool children
- transference (psychology)
- Australia