New book release

Conversations with Child Psychotherapists

Even after 8–10 years of ERP, most don’t recover. The data is clear. So why are we still treating OCD like a procedural problem?

To many in government, a child’s mind is a datapoint. But some suffering isn’t measurable—it’s symbolic, not yet sayable, still surviving.

MERP teaches us something Bion knew all along: we must think about thought—not just resist it—if we are to metabolise experience.

Repetitive thoughts aren’t always questions—they’re often cries. Listen beyond logic. It’s not about the answer. It’s about the feeling.

Reassurance won’t help if the fear can’t be digested. Sometimes, your presence—not your answer—is the real container.

Listening to psychic architecture means attuning to deep emotional structures beneath symptoms—containment, presence, warmth, care.

If your child won’t talk about their thoughts, don’t panic. Silence isn’t failure—it’s a signal. Here’s what to do instead.

When OCD rituals don’t respond to logic, it’s not defiance—it’s emotional code. Learn how to listen for what’s really being said.

What if OCD isn’t one condition, but four psychic positions? A new way to understand rituals, retreat, and recovery in young people.

Not every interpretation lands. Some come too soon. Learn how to recognise when a symbol isn’t ready—and why that matters in OCD work.

You don’t need to be perfect. You need to stay in the room. What to say when you’re scared to say the wrong thing to your child.

Stop cataloguing rituals. Start listening for what breaks if they don’t happen. Treat the structure, not just the symptom.

Is your child expressing something—or just repeating it? Learn how to tell if a ritual is symbolising, or if it’s stuck in survival mode.

When a young person stops symbolising, rituals remain—but meaning drains out. Symbolic collapse is quiet, but devastating. (Lecture 2).

To abandon symbolic work is to leave the child un-met, and the therapist untouched. We must reclaim meaning, or risk becoming procedural.

A guide for clinicians who want to practise symbolically—even within ACT, DBT, and CFT-dominated services. Hold the thread.

OCD rituals aren’t just behaviours — they’re attempts at meaning. Stop listing actions. Start listening for what the act is doing.

Sometimes a ritual isn’t just a habit — it’s a child’s way of saying, “I’m sorry,” or “I love you,” when words feel impossible.