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Invitation Mother-Baby Nurture® is inviting you to an abridged Infant Observation experience to be conducted over 20 sessions during school term from July to December 2025. Places limited to four participants.
Facilitated by Caroline Winchester and Sharon Cooke Description Participants will observe an infant from birth, on a weekly basis, for a period of six months. The observation lasts for one hour and is conducted in the home at a time that suits the family. The experience is captured through descriptive note-taking that takes place after the observation session. Observers meet weekly in a group with two facilitators to reflect on these observations. Each observer takes a turn once a month, sharing their observation notes to the seminar group for reflective discussion. Presentations are anonymised, and no identifying features are used. Rationale Infant observation is an invaluable foundational training as it offers opportunity for an in-depth, first-hand and intimate experience of the very earliest developmental processes that shape how humans relate. While much is written on child development, the unique experience of observation allows the participant to develop a deeper understanding of the developing infant in the context of his or her own family relationships. It is a unique opportunity to observe an infant and their caregiver, experiencing routine and difficult events within their home. The observer holds the privileged position of witnessing week-to-week changes in the infant’s development and interactions with others, and the emergence of their unique personality. Through being present to the developing infant in a non-intrusive way, a space is offered to observers to begin to wonder about how early emotional exchanges that shape attachment relationships influence the developing mind of the infant. Reflection without action, helps cultivate an internal capacity in the observer – patience and deep empathy, qualities essential for effective therapeutic work. As an observing group, through engaging freely and non-judgementally with emerging associations and reflections to both the observed baby’s experiences and one’s own, a richer appreciation of transference and countertransference processes can be gained, along with an opportunity to experientially feel one’s way into the infant’s (and one’s own infantile) emotional world. Infant Observation has gained a reputation as an invaluable learning experience for those that work psychologically across the lifespan as well as those seeking to take a sensitive, relationship-focussed approach with infants and families. Background The practice of psychoanalytic infant observation is a two-year pre-clinical training first formalized at the Tavistock Clinic in 1948 by Esther Bick in collaboration with John Bowlby. Bick’s approach was grounded in the belief that the early parent-infant relationship provides the foundation for the development of a person’s sense of self. She argued that through these observations, therapists could gain insight into the infant’s initial struggles with object relations, state regulation and emotional containment, which are critical for healthy emotional development. By observing the infant's communications, such as gaze, gestures, or expressions, as well as the dynamics between the infant and caregiver, the observer may begin to better understand the influences on the developing psyche. Details Tuesdays 6 - 7.30pm from 22nd July weekly until December 16th 2025 (excl school holidays 30/9, 7/10) Fee: $2,200 +gst per participant (can be paid in two instalments on/before 15th July & 15th October) Venue: To be confirmed Information evening Tuesday 6-7.30pm 4th March 2025 Tuesday 6-7.30pm 1st April 2025 280 South Terrace, South Fremantle Please RSVP to Info Evening by February 25th Caroline: [email protected] The information evening will be helpful to those interested in enrolling. It will also be an opportunity to discuss practicalities, such as finding a newborn baby and establishing the initial observation session time with the family. With the support of the seminar facilitators, each participant is responsible for finding a newborn baby to observe (estimated date of birth - late June to mid-July 2025). It is recommended that the observer has the support of a therapist for the duration of the observation. Seminar facilitators will be under the supervision of Frances Thomson-Salo. |