Bringing alive the relevance and value of psychoanalytic concepts in supporting the core role of professionals working directly in services for people who are older, this fascinating new book will also be of interest to analysts and psychotherapists interested in old age and the application of psychoanalytic thinking in the public sector. Davenhill shares an approach that has been helpful to her as a clinical psychologist working within the NHS and as a psychoanalyst working with people coming for consultation and intensive psychoanalytic treatment in the latter part of the lifespan. It will become evident to the reader that while each chapter is different and stands in its own right, there are certain psychoanalytic concepts which appear and reappear again and again. Specifically these are the concepts of transference, counter transference and projective identification, which are the theoretical and clinical bedrock on which psychoanalytic psychotherapy rests. Each chapter offers a different lens to the reader that will broaden and deepen understanding of such core concepts and their straightforward applicability in strengthening the quality of treatment offered both within old age services and psychological therapy services for people who are older in the public sector.

This book belongs to a long tradition at the Tavistock Clinic of work focused on the mental and emotional well-being of the elderly. It applies psychoanalytic thinking to areas that have generally attracted very little sustained attention over the years.

The contributors to this book examine the psychological dynamics, both individual and institutional, which can promote or obstruct the potential benefit of the audit. Focusing on psychotherapy services within the NHS, a setting where the culture of audit seems very much at odds with the culture of clinical practice, the book provides examples of success stories where clinical audit has been used to support a service's aims and aspirations. It draws conclusions that should be relevant to clinicians and managers across the range of the health care services.