The Power of Psychoanalytic Therapy

By Maria Kondratchik, Child Psychotherapist

Can you think of a time when you really felt understood — when someone not only heard your words but also seemed to sense what you couldn’t put into them?

That feeling of being emotionally met is at the heart of psychoanalytic therapy.

As children, our first experiences of being seen and understood come from early relationships — the rhythm of feeding, the look of recognition, the sense that our feelings make sense to someone else. When these early experiences are disrupted by trauma, neglect, or loss, children often learn to protect themselves by shutting down emotionally or by acting out what they cannot say.

Psychoanalytic therapy provides a space where those early experiences can be re-imagined safely. The therapist’s task is not to correct behaviour but to help the child discover meaning in their emotions, thoughts and actions — to understand why they feel and react the way they do.

In therapy, words, play and silence all have meaning. A child may not be able to say “I’m frightened,” but they might build a wall of blocks, hide under a chair, or stare intently at the therapist. Over time, these moments become part of a shared story — one that connects feeling, thought and relationship.

For children who have experienced early trauma, this process can be transformative. When someone can think about their inner world with them, the child begins to think for themselves — and that is where real change begins.

My work at Family Futures is grounded in this approach. I trained in Infant Observation within the Tavistock tradition and studied with Joshua Durban at the Psychoanalytic Center of California, specialising in autism and early relational trauma. I’m particularly interested in how emotional and sensory experiences shape a child’s capacity to connect and to feel real.

Psychoanalytic therapy also fits naturally within Family Futures’ holistic model of care. It complements approaches such as Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy (NPP), Theraplay, and Sensory Integration, by deepening our understanding of the child’s internal world and how this interacts with their body, relationships and environment. Working collaboratively across disciplines allows us to help each child rebuild both emotional security and developmental resilience.

Psychoanalytic therapy is, above all, about relationship. It offers children — and parents — a chance to experience what it means to be thought about, contained and understood, often for the first time.

If you think psychoanalytic therapy could help your child or family, please get in touch with the Family Futures Wellbeing Hub for more information or to arrange an initial consultation.

Maria works with children and families attending the Wellbeing Hub and the Complex Trauma services at Family Futures. Her approach is deeply rooted in psychoanalytic thinking while integrating creative methods, including play and arts-based interventions, to provide a safe and nurturing therapeutic space.