Some reflections on child psychodynamic psychotherapy: navigating through cruelty and mental narrowness toward the impulse to repair

Through a series of reflections I will attempt to highlight certain aspects of Eric Brenman’s thinking that I have found particularly compelling, and which appear to me as a significant elaboration of some of Melanie Klein’s theoretical concepts. In particular, I will focus on the theme of the perpetuation of the vicious cycle of cruelty, which has proven to be one of the most intellectually and clinically fascinating areas of inquiry for me.Subsequently, I will offer some thoughts on how Brenman’s insights may serve as a useful lens through which to view clinical material that emerged during an intensive psychotherapy with a young patient, excerpts of which I will present.Finally, I will turn to some elements of Melanie Klein’s theory of the depressive position, with a particular focus on the theme of reparation. Through a brief presentation of selected clinical material, I will attempt to reflect on how the impulse to repair strikes me as an area of considerable importance in therapeutic work with children.