Therapeutic community for children with diagnosis of psychosis: What place for parents? The relation between subject and the institutional 'Other'

This contribution explores the perspective of a group of parents whose children are hosted in a residential community in Northern Italy. This community hosts children with diagnosis of psychosis, separated from their families by medical decision or by judgement. This compulsory separation leads to a relationship between the institutional network and parents characterised by a struggle for power. In Hegelian terms, there is a creation of an imaginary relation between master and slave. In this situation, three main questions emerged: (1) What can be done with the parental suffering, anguish and aggression caused by this separation? (2) Where placing these affections inside the institutional work with children? (3) What effect will produce this situation, on the institutional transference? A place named 'Parents' place' was created. During these meetings, parents were invited to speak about their own children with the professionals of the community. Using a theory-driven conceptual framework, Imaginary and Symbolic registers of Lacan, the transcripts of this meeting group were analysed. Analysis highlights how this work with parents allows elaborating in a symbolic way this separation, producing a symbolic adjustment of the imaginary relationship between the network of institutions and parents with consequences on the clinical practice with children.