WHY WORK WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD
Questions of infinite aspects, in the face of which rationality falls short of giving a satisfactory answer that somehow soothes these desires to know, since these questions have not been proposed by us in the field of autonomous reflection, but rather they come from that scenario that we call the Other (the family, the school, and other institutions) which is broader than ourselves and which escapes our knowledge radically, even our unconscious knowledge.
These questions or, rather, this critical relationship between the child’s demand, the institution’s demand, and professional practice are the foundation of this justification.
As psychologists and psychotherapists who collaborate in SIGMÓN, actively and responsibly concerned with accompanying our little ones, and being our centre also an active entity that belongs and is part of this complex network of relationships, we articulate this ambitious but also simple response.
SIGMÓN RESPONDS:
We offer ourselves as a safe, friendly, and playful space where we will return the child’s word, thus contributing to the harmonious development of their full potential.
We know that development as a process is a foundational notion in any praxis that relates to early childhood, the notion of process highlights its character of change, development, and gradual transformation towards higher and more complex levels of development. We also understand that there are rhythms and times specific to each child, and that their chronological age may serve as a reference point, but it does not have to be the determining factor.
At SIGMÓN, we are very aware of the indescribable value that these first years of life have for the future personality development of every human, as during this time the most intense process of socialization as well as physical and cognitive development takes place.
Giving meaning to children’s daily lives, promoting their development as individuals, and encouraging their free expression and construction of new knowledge are the starting point of our work and mission regarding working with children in the early years.
The child who makes symptoms is not received at SIGMÓN as someone who has come out of their reality or is maladapted to it and therefore needs to be fixed and cured; our space is not a workshop, nor is our work that of mechanics. From our perspective, we receive children who are suffering and demand to be heard.
It is valuable to think that through the social bond of discourse, the child seeks to be recognized by others, using the word as a mediator, and if this is not listened to, in its place will be substitutes, such as the symptom, which also demands listening, as something that wants to be said or, better, that speaks for itself.
The crises in families or schools that request our services tell us something about that institutional ignorance that erupts and announces a certain truth of the child-institution relationship.
Looking closely and listening patiently and attentively to all parties involved in these crises and particular moments of each family, each school, and each boy and girl, is our work horizon.