Examining and exploring new approaches to therapeutic observation in health and social care, this multidisciplinary guide discusses and analyses its uses in a range of practical contexts with children, families and adults.

Developing good observation skills is paramount to sustaining relationships in the challenging settings that health and social care professionals find themselves in. This guide shows how observation is taught, applied in practice, and how it will be returned to throughout professionals' careers.

Drawing on psychoanalytic ideas and theories of human development as a base for professional learning, the experienced editors and authors offer theoretically informed models to teach observation skills in professional programmes, helping their readers prepare for successful intervention in any setting.

Foreword - Gillian Ruch. 1. Introduction. Observation for our times - Clare Parkinson, Lucille Allain and Helen Hingley-Jones. PART I: Observation, Learning and Teaching. 2. From observation, via reflection, to practice: psychoanalytic baby and young child observation and the helping professions - Helen Hingley-Jones. 3. 'To know', 'to do' and 'to be': Learning through observation in medical training, teaching, midwifery and social work - Lucille Allain. 4. 'How does it feel?' Best Interests Assessors observe adult group care - Clare Parkinson. 5. The Sociological Turn- Observations on a broader canvas - Patricia Cartney, Manchester University. PART II: Observation and Practice. 6. Work with troubled adolescents: observation as a key skill for practitioners - Stephen Briggs, University of East London. 7. Observation, attention and awareness: emotional states and bodily clues - Graham Music, Tavistock and Portman Clinics. 8. Applied psychoanalytic observation in practice with younger people affected by dementia - Claire Kent, Tavistock Centre. 9. The use of observation in developing parenting capacity - Duncan McLean and Minna Daum, Anna Freud Centre. PART III: Observation and Research. 10. Soft Eyes: Observation as Research - Andrew Cooper, Tavistock Centre and University of East London. 11. Conclusion - Lucille Allain, Clare Parkinson and Helen Hingley-Jones.