Psychoanalysarium: Four Case Studies of Child Psychoanalysis
Part of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis series - more in this series

Book Details
- Publisher : Routledge
- Published : December 2025
- Cover : Paperback
- Pages : 120
- Category :
Forthcoming - Category 2 :
Child and Adolescent Studies - Catalogue No : 98321
- ISBN 13 : 9781032901978
- ISBN 10 : 1032901977
Also by Ana Belchior Melicias
The Freud Folder
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In this unique volume, four experienced psychoanalysts present in-depth case studies of child psychoanalysis, highlighting the praxis, development and relevance of psychoanalytic work with children.
Psychoanalysarium - a word that encompasses work, space, time, movement, dream, creativity, rêverie and fantasy - takes the reader on an intimate journey of psychoanalytic work through the book's four case studies. The vast clinical material delves into themes such as transgenerational trauma, learning difficulties, sibling rivalry and aggressive tendencies, as well as the impact of separation anxiety and depression in childhood. The different analytical tools used with each child - from drawing to elements of play therapy - allow for a better understanding of, and connection with, children's suffering. This book provides the reader with essential perspectives to expand their own clinical work with young people. Highlighting both the importance of the external setting and the analyst's internal setting, the aesthetic dynamism of the analytical process reveals the complex working relationship with children and the benefits of the psychoanalytical approach.
This book is a vital contribution to the theoretical-clinical field of psychoanalysis with children and will be of interest to all psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and psychiatrists who work with the psychological suffering of children and their families.
Reviews and Endorsements
Creativity (...even in the title!), theoretical and clinical competence, depth of thought and openness to the new and to complexity are just some of the characteristics of this fascinating and valuable book, which, through four very lively clinical cases, accompanies the reader into the area of child analysis and then, much further, into the infinitely vast area of the childhood basis of adult life. ‘Psychoanalysarium’ is a very useful tool for all those who work in this field, and confirms how psychoanalytical therapy for childhood psychological distress has made progress that was unthinkable until a few years ago.
Stefano Bolognini, Former President of International Psychoanalytical Association
This is one of those rare books demonstrating how deep is the psychoanalytic practice.
An homage to child and adolescent psychoanalysis, this is a manual on child analysis, demonstrating how the analyst maintains the analytic process, through four detailed analyses of children of different ages. As Virginia Ungar pointed out in her foreword, the child analyst is in touch with the reality of the unconscious fantasy. The complexity of transference and countertransference is explored and gives rise to fascinating elaborations on psychoanalysis with children. This is a brilliant book, exciting and very accessible: a good combination of education and psychoanalytic thinking. This book is an essential theoretical and clinical document for adult and child analysts, and for everyone in analytic training.
Christine Anzieu-Premmereur, MD, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Columbia University. Chair IPA COCAP (Committee for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis), Co-Founder New York’s Pulsion Psychoanalytic Institute
Four children… four psychoanalysts and their inspiring trajectory masterfully captures the very essence of contemporary psychoanalysis: diversity, pluralism, and contemporaneity. It is far more than a theoretical exercise; it's a vibrant demonstration of psychoanalytic practice, skillfully weaving together the wisdom of classical psychoanalytic thought with the cutting-edge of contemporary research. What truly sets this book apart is its ability to transcend the specific focus on children. The reader immersed in the intimate and transformative analytical journeys, will gain invaluable insights into the nuances of the therapeutic relationship with patients of any age!
This book is an essential resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of psychoanalytic practice. The authors have created a work that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply moving, a testament to the enduring power of psychoanalysis in our ever-evolving world.
Sergio Nick, Former Vice-President of International Psychoanalytical Association
Table of Contents
1. The Girl From the Sea - The Transformation of Illusion Into Development
Isabel Quinta Da Costa
2. Died, Slept, Dreamt - From Immersion in Sensoriality to the Possibility of Thinking
Elsa Couchinho
3. The Ghost of a Thousand Ghosts - From the Hunger of a Thousand Babies to the Progressive Possibility of Symbolisation
Raquel Quelhas Lima
4. From Scribble to Sphinx - Originary Phantasies as a Symbolic Matrix
Ana Belchior Melícias
About Confidentiality
Raquel Quelhas Lima
About the Editor(s)
Ana Belchior Melícias is a psychoanalyst based in Lisbon, Portugal. She is a full member of the Portuguese Psychoanalytical Society (PPS) and of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA). She is former Vice-President of PPS Board and President of the APOBB (Portuguese Association of Bick Infant Observation).
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