Learning Beyond Reason: Psychodynamic Case Studies in Education

Five case studies explore varied challenges for young people and those working with them. Each one sets out the challenge, an analysis from a psychodynamic perspective, and the intervention. Crucially, the outcomes are included. Each chapter focuses on the unique contributions of psychodynamically informed theories and techniques.

Learning Beyond Reason: Psychodynamic Case Studies in Education includes contributions from Zahra Ahmed, Christopher Arnold, Dale Bartle, Gemma Ellis, Katie Ellis, Xavier Eloquin, Hannah Fleming, and Aaron Reynolds. Three of the five case studies are based around individual students or young people and the remaining two involve groups of adults involved in working with young people. The first chapter offers an overview of the approaches when applied to individual case work. The second focuses on emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA) and the third on working with a young person with multiple social challenges. Chapter 4 takes a psychodynamically informed view of a difficult whole school situation, which includes an analysis of complex relationships in a specialist school. Chapter 5 describes a technique for use with groups of adults working with young people and the insights that arise out of the application of these methods.

Each chapter focuses on the unique contributions of psychodynamically informed theories and techniques. The aim: to highlight the efficacy and humanity of psychoanalytic approaches in difficult situations involving young people. It is also hoped that this volume permits space for the reader to reflect on any emotional responses to the situations described in the case studies

This companion book to the editors’ previous publication, Learning from the Unconscious: Psychoanalytic Approaches in Educational Psychology, highlights and publicises the practical applications of such approaches. It can be read as a standalone text or a follow-on that puts theory into practice. It is essential reading for educational psychologists, teachers, educational administrators, trainers of educational psychologists, parents of children with additional needs, and charity workers involved with the lives of children with additional needs.