Editorial

Abstract

27 September 2020 marked the one-hundredth anniversary of the first patient being seen at the Tavistock Clinic. Over the following year, the Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust has marked this centenary with a series of events celebrating its history and exploring contemporary issues in relation to identity, relationships and society. This special issue is a collection of papers based on presentations from the centennial celebrations. The authors, most of whom are past and present clinicians of the trust, describe the historical and contemporary work of various departments and services and consider how to draw on this heritage to provide valuable responses to contemporary and future challenges. The Tavistock Clinic was established by Hugh Crichton-Miller, taking its name from its original location at 51 Tavistock Square. Crichton-Miller’s aim was to provide civilians with the kind of treatments that he and other doctors had developed using Freud’s theory of neurosis in the treatment of shell-shocked soldiers during World War 1. So, it seems fitting that the first three papers in this special issue address the subject of trauma. In ‘The Tavistock trauma service centenary lecture’ Jo Stubley describes the history and theoretical developments of clinical work with adult patients in the Tavistock Trauma Service. This service was founded in 1987 in response to the Herald of Free Enterprise Ferry Disaster. Using a psychoanalytic model of trauma developed by Caroline Garland, the unit initially worked with adults who had experienced a single episode trauma, offering a brief intervention of six consultations. However, over time, an increasing number of referrals have been received for people who have experienced chronic, repetitive and sustained traumas. Working with complex trauma has required changes to the original model, and advances in attachment and mentalisation theories and neuroscience have informed developments in the work of the unit. A range of therapeutic interventions, both individual and group, psychotherapeutic, physical and social is now provided. The second paper, by Graham Music, focuses on the developing field of trauma work, and the need to attend to the body. In ‘Being safe and being brave: new thoughts on trauma, and adaptations to technique’, Music describes his work with four young people to illustrate his journey as a trauma therapist, and the development of the techniques that he uses. Much of this requires a focus on the body, initially to develop feelings of safety and facilitate trust. Once this has been achieved the work can move towards emotional expression, again paying