About this event

This event is hybrid, participants are welcome to join in person or online. This event will be recorded and available for 1 week post event.

Margaret Rustin will be in discussion with Anjali Grier, chaired by Claire Cripwell, as we explore the enduring cultural and psychological significance of fairy tales in childhood. Whether encountered through oral storytelling, books, picture books, or nowadays perhaps more often seen in animated films, fairy tales have long held a central place in children's lives. Their lasting power lies in their ability to express, through narrative, the unavoidable conflicts and emotional complexities of growing up.

Through close examination of well-known European tales and contrasting material from India's rich tradition of storytelling, this event asks: What role do these stories play in shaping children's imaginative worlds? And why do these vivid portrayals of childhood's hopes and fears remain such a vital resource in nurturing future generations?

Speakers

Margaret Rustin is an Honorary Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. She was Head of Child Psychotherapy at the Tavistock (1986 - 2009) and was Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Tavistock (1993 - 99), and subsequently Chair of the Professional Committee. She continues to teach and supervise at the Tavistock and the British Psychoanalytical Society and also in many countries across the globe. She is a Child Analyst and a Clinical Associate of the British Psychoanalytic Society. Her publications include many journal articles and books, and a volume of her selected clinical papers entitled 'Finding a Way to the Child' was published by the New International Library of Psychoanalysis in 2023. A second volume, to be published in 2026, includes chapters on Infant Observation, on psychoanalytic theory and issues in teaching and clinical research, and concludes with a section of psychoanalytic appreciations of literature both classical and contemporary. 

Anjali Grier is a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society. She is also a member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists and an accredited training analyst for the ACP. She has worked in the National Health Service for many years, including in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in the community and in hospital settings, in perinatal mental health, and in Adolescent Eating Disorder services. Her experience also includes that of Visiting Lecturer at the Tavistock Clinic, and teaching abroad. She is currently in full time private practice in London, and supervises colleagues in the UK and abroad. SHe has published in the International Journal of Infant Observation, (Vol. 5 No.1, Spring 2002) and a chapter in Young Child Observation edited by Rustin, M & Adamo, S, 2013.

Concession tickets are available, for students, BPAS candidates and NHS trainees. Please email [email protected] if you are unsure if you qualify for a concession ticket.

Event booking terms and conditions.

Views and opinions expressed by speakers are their own and do not represent the views or opinions of the Institute, event organisers or other speakers. We expect delegates to respect the confidentiality of clinical material discussed in our events. The content must not be recorded, conveyed or disseminated in any format and participants must not share access to the event with non-registered participants.

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