Dr Anne Alvarez

This MINDinMIND Legacy Interview is with Dr Anne Alvarez, one of the most influential and respected child psychotherapists of our time.

Anne’s dedication to understanding and treating the emotional and psychological needs of severely disturbed and traumatised children, particularly those with autism, has revolutionised the field of child psychotherapy.

Anne Alvarez is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and retired Co-Chair of the Autism Service at the Tavistock Clinic, London. She is internationally renowned for her groundbreaking concepts in working therapeutically with children previously thought unreachable.

Anne is in conversation with two very special guests:

• Dr Graham Music, a leading Child and Adult Psychotherapist and author of several influential books on child development and therapy
• Dr Robin Holloway, a Clinical Psychologist specialising in autism and Asperger’s syndrome

We hear how Anne Alvarez has developed innovative approaches to working with autistic and traumatised children, integrating psychoanalysis, developmental psychology, and neuroscience into practical interventions.

Key points from the interview

• The development of Anne’s interest in child psychotherapy and work with autistic children
• The influence of Melanie Klein, Frances Tustin, and other pioneers in the field of child psychoanalysis
• The concept of “reclamation” and its role in engaging withdrawn or undrawn children
• The development of the three levels of therapeutic work: explanatory, descriptive, and intensified vitalizing
• The importance of hope and vitality in therapeutic relationships with severely disturbed children
• The integration of psychoanalytic theory with developmental psychology and neuroscience
• The role of supervision and mentorship in developing as a therapist
• Cultural considerations and adaptations in working with diverse populations
• Addressing the needs of autistic children and their families
• The ongoing relevance of psychoanalytic thinking in understanding child development and mental health

Special Guests

Dr Graham Music

Graham Music is a psychotherapist, trainer, author and supervisor. He is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Centre where he worked for over 25 years, and he has been an adult Psychotherapist for about 35 years. Formerly Associate Clinical Director of the Tavistock Clinic’s Child and Family Department, he has developed many innovative programs, including setting up services in over 40 schools and a range of services working with the aftermath of child maltreatment and neglect. His clinical specialty for decades has been understanding and working with trauma. He supervises and teaches nationally and internationally and has a particular interest in linking cutting-edge developmental findings with therapeutic practice.

Dr Robin Holloway

Robin Holloway is a Registered Psychologist providing psychoanalytic psychotherapy to children, adolescents, and adults in Toronto, Canada. Robin was able to survive two doctoral degrees, one in educational theory and the other in developmental/clinical psychology. He is a graduate of CICAPP (The Canadian Institute for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy) where he is now a supervisor and a teacher. Robin is in private practice at The Willow Centre in Toronto, Canada.

At The Willow Centre, Robin has the privilege of working with a small group of like-minded clinicians where together we can discuss cases, and where he has had the unique opportunity of discussing aspects of this paper with his enormously helpful colleagues. Before joining his colleagues at The Willow Centre, Robin worked for over 20 years in the Child and Family Services department of a public hospital where he participated in weekly assessments of children referred for possible autism spectrum disorder.

Inspired by this experience and by hearing Anne Alvarez speak about autism to a group of graduate psychoanalytic psychotherapists (the Canadian Association of Psychoanalytic Child Therapists), Robin went on to develop a special interest in children with autism and Asperger’s. This in turn has led to several publications: Asperger’s Children: Psychodynamics, Aetiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment, High-functioning autism: changes over fourteen years of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Jane O'Rourke, founder of MINDinMIND and a former award-winning BBC Producer turned Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, brings her storytelling and listening skills to thoughtful conversations with leading mental health clinicians. Her unique background allows her to weave together the personal and professional threads of her guests' journeys, capturing the experiences that have shaped their clinical work.