CLINICAL WORK WITH ADOLESCENTS FROM A PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This study discussed the psychoanalytic understanding of the contemporary concept of adolescence and the theoretical and technical specificities of psychotherapeutic work with adolescents when it is informed and conducted from a psychoanalytic perspective. The methodology employed was a narrative literature review, seeking to examine academic productions on clinical work with adolescents. Throughout the text, the importance of therapists paying attention to the social issues involved in the production of the patient’s subjectivity is emphasized, including social markers of difference, experiences of violence, and the relationship with technology. The relevance of forms of language other than verbal communication in clinical processes with adolescents is also highlighted. Finally, the study reaffirms the potential of psychoanalysis in thinking about mental health through the history of interpersonal bonds, from a non-pathologizing perspective on adolescence.