REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN INFANT MENTAL HEALTH-A SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE

Reflective practice forms a pivotal part of mental health intervention in a setting where language and cultural differences require working together with a community counselor for language interpretation. Reflective practice in infant mental health began with Esther Bick's () infant observations and continued with Selma Fraiberg's () parent-infant psychotherapy. These two models formed the basis of the practice of infant mental health in a community in South Africa. A clinical example will highlight the importance of culturally informed observation that is then reflected upon. A qualitative study that examined the interaction among the participants in three clinical settings shows that a sustained partnership and tolerance for flexibility lie at the heart of good practice in intercultural settings. Object-relations theory offers an additional, in-depth understanding of the underlying psychic processes in reflective practice.