Social work deals with the heavy end of human difficulties such as cruelty, self-destructiveness and severe and enduring mental health problems. How do social workers make sense of the emotional difficulties which come with the realities of practice? What are the best theories and techniques that are suitable for dealing with complex situations and avoiding burnout and stress? The contributors to this book argue that psychoanalysis provides a theory of development and behaviour capable of formulating a realistic model for understanding severe emotional difficulties and disturbances in both...