A Child Is Being Beaten

Psychodynamics, Dr Perinpanayagam tells us, is '.a simple, common-sense treatment of the youngsters which depends on discussion with them and trying to understand their overt conscious expressions, as well as identifying covert communications. It is treatment that tries to understand and deal with the cause of a problem.' But will psychodynamics work when you're faced with an oversized teenager threatening violence, or a young girl who demands to be raped? Dr Perinpanayagam's experience as the Medical Director of a regional residential unit for disturbed adolescents, confirms the validity of his theory. Dr Perinpanayagam and his team worked hard for ten years with damaged adolescents and their families, to draw out the hurt and 'give it back' in an acceptable form. Here is the record of his experience, and it makes fascinating reading, with its neat balance of theory, documentation and case histories. A must for believers in the therapeutic approach, this textbook unravels some of the awesome challenges and confusions facing many of us in that most volatile phase of our lives - adolescence.