From the Editor

While growing up in a small high-desert town, I was always involved with children: babysitting, teaching swimming, volunteering at youth camps. Little did I know at the time, that this thread of working with children would become my life’s career. Many synchronistic events led to this path, which have continued to open more and more opportunities for me.

Thus, upon accepting this position as editor of the Journal, I had a vision for a special issue on children and adolescents. My analytic training in Zürich included completing the child program: in my career, I first worked as a school psychologist, then a play therapist, then a pediatric psychologist, and now a child/adolescent analyst. You can certainly appreciate my interest!

This issue is filled with wonderful feature articles that highlight child/adolescent clinical
work, an enthusiastic response to our Many Voices about childhood memories, and a special poetry section written by children and adolescents assembled by our Poetry Editor, Paul Watsky. His creativity bloomed when he conceived the idea of poems by children, and as you will see in his introduction, it took a small village to complete. These poems so eloquently capture what this issue is trying to embody—a return to childhood memories and the importance of our work with children and adolescents and with the adults who harbor the child within.

Brigit Soubrouillard, chair of the Child and Adolescent Working Party, provides an overview and information about the work with this population within the International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP) and the development of workshops, international and regional conferences, and Prince of Wales Island, Alaska local events around the world. More specifically, the San Francisco C. G. Jung Institute will be hosting the first North American Conference on Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence in April 2025.

Perhaps the stories and papers you read will spark a desire to return to your playful nature. My joy and playfulness are seen in the accompanying photo from a recent trip to Alaska to fish for salmon. I wonder where you find your playfulness. I hope you enjoy this special issue on the child.

Audrey Punnett, Editor

To read a hard copy, go HERE.