The Replacement Child

Families face intense psychic pain when a child has deceased or goes missing. For complex reasons, the effects of loss and trauma can remain unresolved and unconscious across one or more generations. The impact can be especially powerful for the child born after the loss, but also affect surviving siblings of children born years later.

This training discusses how ‘the replacement child’ dynamics create a fragmented identity, relational difficulties and a sense of existential insecurity. Through clinical material, our speaker discusses how these unconscious themes can be sensitively considered within the therapeutic relationship and how we can accompany replacement children to find their true self.

Definition of Replacement Child:

The definition of the term ‘replacement child’ is complex and depends on the particular person and their family psychodynamics. The richness of the concept is addressed  through theoretical and clinical vignettes, but for the purposes of this tyraining we use the definition of ‘Replacement Child’ offered by the Replacement Child Forum which we have replicated below from their website):

A person can be a replacement child if:

• Conceived or born to replace a child or other member of the family who has died;
• Born shortly aftera death, stillbirth, miscarriage or abortion: a so-called subsequent child;
• Born as a surviving twin or multiple;
• Replacing a sibling or another member of the family later on, due to death or disability;
• In the context of the adoption of a child, replacing or being replaced by a conceived child; or
• Being assigned the role to replace a missing person or self-identifying with such a role.
• Important Note: Children born or adopted after a death or loss are not automatically replacement children.

Testimonials:

“Amazing presentation from Kristina which resonated with deep issues I have had for years but not understood”

Please note  that any mention in the videos about “handouts” or “printouts” by trainers, are in reference to printouts of the PowerPoint slides, which were made available to delegates who attended the LIVE workshop. These slides are included within the videos and are the property of the trainers. They are not available for download or redistribution with any video rental purchase.