This article is an excerpt is from the first chapter of Finding Hope in Despair: Clinical
Studies in Infant Mental Health, edited by Marian Birch, was published by ZERO TO THREE
in June 2008. In this excerpt, the editor describes the core concepts, techniques, and
challenges of therapeutic intervention with infants and very young children and their
families. In the other chapters in the book, clinicians provide detailed case studies of
interventions that felt like “heartbreaking failures.” Each case study is followed by a
response from another clinician who comments on the challenges and the outcome of the
intervention.