“BEING HUMAN: THE THEORIES, PRACTICE AND INFLUENCE OF VALERIE SINASON”

All contributors are now working on their chapters, with one draft received. The shape of the book is as follows:

Introduction  Dr. Alan Corbett

Foreword       Dr. Susie Orbach

1. On The Shoulders of Giants: Sinason’s place in the history of psychotherapy: David O’Driscoll
2. Frontline issues: How Sinason’s models help inform the work of front line staff: Dr. Pat Frankish
3. Death, loss and the struggle for non-disabled grief: Dr. Noelle Blackman
4. Group Conditions: The experience of co-conducting forensic groups using the Hollins/Sinason model and the work of Books without Words: Professor Sheila Baroness Hollins
5. Sinason’s influence upon the development of work in Sweden: Barbro Sjöström-Miljand
6. Life Worth Living: translating Sinason’s concepts into work with the physically disabled: Shula Wilson
7. We Are We See Looking Back At Us: Sinason’s role in the creation of a clinic for people with intellectual disabilities who have been sexually abused: Tamsin Cottis and Alan Corbett
8. Disability and the Mother Tongue: Elizabeth Lloyd
9. The Making of a Disability Psychiatrist: Dr. Georgina Parkes
10. Creativity and the Analytic Condition: Art, play and Dramatherapy within a psychoanalytic frame: Dr. Eimir McGrath
11. Working with an ID/DID patient in Sweden: Anders Svensson
12. South African influence: Professor Leslie Swarz
13. Influence on work with non-disabled patients: Graeme Galton
14. An interview with Dr. Sinason reflecting on her life and her role in the creation of Disability Therapy: Alan Corbett
15. Valerie Sinason and the Psychodynamics of Bravery: Professor Brett Kahr

Following discussions with Rod Tweedy, Editor at Karnac, I think we need to re-think the timing of the launch event for this book. It is likely the book will be ready for December, but there is a possibility that it may not. I think we should err on the side of caution and schedule the event for January or February 2017 instead. I know this misses Valerie’s birthday, but I’d rather not run the risk of an event without a book.

“TREATING WITH RESPECT”

This collection of papers has attracted some proposals for papers, but needs more. It will be an important book, as it will seek to build a bridge between the disability therapy world and the non-disability therapy world. I’d like to encourage all trustees to submit ideas for this. We need chapters that will examine the core concepts of Disability Therapy and look at how this are, or could be, applied to patients without disabilities. This includes mainstream therapeutic work as well as work with other minority groups: Mental Health patients, Dissociative patient, Borderline patients, etc.

ATTACHMENT AND DISABILITY

Mark Linington has proposed a book on Attachment and Disability Therapy. He’s put together an interesting proposal, and is currently re-writing it for submission by the end of this month.

THERAPY IN DIFFERENT SETTINGS

Following discussions with Melinda Elson about a chapter she is developing on working with children with disabilities in schools, I’m interested in developing a future collection of papers on disability work in different settings, including schools, hospitals, day centres, prisons and other community-based wttings. I’ll shortly put together an abstract for the website to encourage interest.

BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

While not actually part of the IPD/Karnac series, I’m happy to report the special section on disability for the British Journal of Psychotherapy is progressing well, and should, if all goes according to plan, be published in 2017. I am editing the section, with papers from Tamsin Cottis, Brett Kahr and Valerie Sinason.

GENERAL

Could you let me know of any organisations or websites that you’re connected with that I can send information on our series to? I want to enlarge the range of possible writers as well as possible readers. Please contact me on 07791050729 or alancorbett@gmail.com. Please also contact me to discuss any ideas you have for books or chapters you’re interested in writing or editing. This is our chance to really influence the world of therapy and it would be great to have as many of us involved as possible.