In addition to lectures by the two speakers, Marica Rytovaara and Peter Wilson, there will be time for general discussion and discussion in small groups.

Venue
Heythrop College - Maria Assumpta Centre
23 Kensington Square
London W8 5HN

Marica Rytovaara: 'The Road not Taken - adolescent aspects of adult psychotherapy'

"Acting out and juvenile delinquency resurface later in life blocking the path to individuation and need to be processed as part of the mourning and loss of what could have been. I want to explore both positive and negative manifestations of the adolescent archetype (puer/ puella aeternus), which is activated at threshold stages and metamorphoses and is linked with life, death and redemption. I intend to explore curiosity and play through Huizinga's Homo Ludens and our genetically wired seeking system from affective neuroscience contrasted with the adolescent longing for a dance with an eroticized personified Death. The talk will be illustrated with case vignettes and images from literature, the cinema and the Arts."

Marica Rytovaara is a Jungian Psychoanalyst and a Professional Member of SAP. She has a small private practice in North London and is a fulltime Consultant in Adolescent Psychotherapy in the NHS.

Peter Wilson: 'The Adolescent in the Adult Patient'

Adolescence occurs broadly speaking in the second decennium of life. It is a time of transition, a kind of migration from childhood to adulthood. The adolescent is engaged in three major developmental tasks: adapting to the changing body, facing individuation and forming some sense of identity. The experience of adolescence varies enormously from one individual to another, from one culture to another. Essentially, however, it is one of growing possibility in the midst of mounting anxiety.

A number of questions are raised about the different paths that different individuals may take in adolescence and how these may influence the shape of the individual's adult life. When does adolescence end? What is an adult? And does the spirit of adolescence live on into adulthood? If so, how?

Peter Wilson is a Consultant Child Psychotherapist. He trained at the Hampstead Child Therapy Course and Clinic (now the Anna Freud Centre) in the early 70s and has worked in a wide variety of settings in England and the USA, including child guidance clinics, adolescent centres and therapeutic communities. He has consulted to various professional groups, including teachers, social workers and psychiatric registrars: and has taken an active role in the teaching and supervision of child psychotherapy trainees. In the early 90s he was one of the co-founders of YoungMinds until his retirement in 2004. He is currently Clinical Adviser to ThePlaceToBe, a national voluntary organisation providing a comprehensive counselling service in schools. He has published numerous papers and one book, Young Minds in Our Schools.

Booking
The conference fee of £50 (or £35 for psychotherapy trainees).
Numbers are limited. Booking is essential.

The booking form for this conference may be downloaded here:

Booking form
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Enquiries
Please phone 020 8446 1251.