Elements of Therapeutic Action in Child Psychoanalysis: Some Problems with Trying to Provide a Corrective Emotional Experience

As the practice and study of child psychoanalysis has evolved, we have become aware that the analyst functions in various ways to contribute to therapeutic action. This paper describes the analysis of a three-year-old girl with encopretic symptoms. The analyst brought a potty into the consulting room to deepen exploration into the symptoms. In retrospect, the analyst was trying to provide a corrective emotional experience. This attempt ultimately kept the analysis too focused and concrete about the symptom and limited the depth of imaginary play. It interfered with the child developing a more abstract self-reflective capacity to think about the connection between her unconscious and her difficulties. Thus, she terminated with a less-than-optimal sense of self-agency.