Short-term Residential Therapy for the Family: The Eastling Parentcraft Centre Project

This paper describes a short-term residential family therapy project which has been developed at the Eastling Parentcraft Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand. The Eastling Parentcraft Centre provides a community based residential programme for families who have difficulties in family relationships and child management, and with parental self-esteem. The problems may concern bonding, separation, neglect and risk of abuse, lack of social support, and feelings of isolation. The Centre's project is described together with an evaluation of the work with families during the second year of the project's operation. Some aspects of this type of residential work with families are also discussed.     

Mirroring and autonomy: The dual tasks of mothers

Theexperience of being a mother, of being the developmental partner for the pre-oedipal child, is complex and demanding. A woman must learn to balance her own needs and identity as a person with the child's need for appropriate merging and distancing. The child's own developmental push requires a constant shifting in the mother's balance between herself and the child. This article explores some of the factors involved in the mother's experience of her dual task, and some of the ways in which the mother's development as a person is reciprocally related to her child's developmental demands.She is in private practice and also a research consultant. Ms. Walter is in private practice and a consultant, Family Service of Montgomery County.