Margaret Boyle Spelman is a registered clinical psychologist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and organisational psychologist working for three decades in the Irish Health Services and in private practice since 1998. Margaret is a member of the European Association for Psychotherapy and has held executive positions in The Psychological Society of Ireland, The Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, The Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and The Irish Council for Psychotherapy. She has Masters degrees in psychology from the three Dublin Universities and her PhD was completed at the Centre for Psychoanalysis, University of Essex.

• Preface , Introduction , The root of Winnicott’s thinking , Absolute dependence: the growth of a boundary , Relative dependence: the distance between , Towards independence—the whole person , A baby observation , Baby observation report , Conclusion

'This book is a rare example of well metabolised theory offered to the reader in easily palatable form. Formulation of Winnicott's concepts is clear, concise and historically contextualised, and his ideas about the intricacy of what transpires in primary relationships is illustrated by (suitably disguised) clinical snippets, and infant observation material. Unusually, at least four perspectives are presented in each chapter - baby's and mother's, and in parallel - psychotherapist's and patient's. The author read critically, and in keeping with Winnicott's wariness of sentimentality, counterbalances 'good enough' with deficits, both environmental and in Winnicott's theorising.'- Professor Joan Raphael-Leff, Leader, Academic Faculty for Psychoanalytic Research, UCL/Anna Freud Centre, London

Margaret Boyle Spelman is a registered clinical psychologist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and organisational psychologist working for three decades in the Irish Health Services and in private practice since 1998. Margaret is a member of the European Association for Psychotherapy and has held executive positions in The Psychological Society of Ireland, The Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, The Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and The Irish Council for Psychotherapy. She has Masters degrees in psychology from the three Dublin Universities and her PhD was completed at the Centre for Psychoanalysis, University of Essex.

• Preface , Introduction , The root of Winnicott’s thinking , Absolute dependence: the growth of a boundary , Relative dependence: the distance between , Towards independence—the whole person , A baby observation , Baby observation report , Conclusion

'This book is a rare example of well metabolised theory offered to the reader in easily palatable form. Formulation of Winnicott's concepts is clear, concise and historically contextualised, and his ideas about the intricacy of what transpires in primary relationships is illustrated by (suitably disguised) clinical snippets, and infant observation material. Unusually, at least four perspectives are presented in each chapter - baby's and mother's, and in parallel - psychotherapist's and patient's. The author read critically, and in keeping with Winnicott's wariness of sentimentality, counterbalances 'good enough' with deficits, both environmental and in Winnicott's theorising.'- Professor Joan Raphael-Leff, Leader, Academic Faculty for Psychoanalytic Research, UCL/Anna Freud Centre, London

Margaret Boyle Spelman is a registered clinical psychologist, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and organisational psychologist working for three decades in the Irish Health Services and in private practice since 1998. Margaret is a member of the European Association for Psychotherapy and has held executive positions in The Psychological Society of Ireland, The Irish Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, The Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and The Irish Council for Psychotherapy. She has Masters degrees in psychology from the three Dublin Universities and her PhD was completed at the Centre for Psychoanalysis, University of Essex.

• Preface , Introduction , The root of Winnicott’s thinking , Absolute dependence: the growth of a boundary , Relative dependence: the distance between , Towards independence—the whole person , A baby observation , Baby observation report , Conclusion

'This book is a rare example of well metabolised theory offered to the reader in easily palatable form. Formulation of Winnicott's concepts is clear, concise and historically contextualised, and his ideas about the intricacy of what transpires in primary relationships is illustrated by (suitably disguised) clinical snippets, and infant observation material. Unusually, at least four perspectives are presented in each chapter - baby's and mother's, and in parallel - psychotherapist's and patient's. The author read critically, and in keeping with Winnicott's wariness of sentimentality, counterbalances 'good enough' with deficits, both environmental and in Winnicott's theorising.'- Professor Joan Raphael-Leff, Leader, Academic Faculty for Psychoanalytic Research, UCL/Anna Freud Centre, London