Research and Publications
Reading and writing are at the heart of how I think, learn, and stay connected to the evolving fields of child development and psychotherapy. I value the chance to share ideas in a way that invites reflection and re-thinking, and I hope that those who read my work find something meaningful—whether a new perspective, a point of connection, or simply something to carry into their own thinking and practice.
01
Epistemic Trust and Mentalization-Based Treatment for Parents: A Theory-Testing Case Study
The paper examines how developing epistemic trust- the capacity to experience another’s communication as trustworthy, relevant, and personally meaningful- can help parents become more open to new perspectives about themselves and their child. Using a detailed case study, it shows how a mentalization-based approach can soften rigid patterns of thinking and support more reflective, attuned parenting.
Watson, P., Fiorini, G., McGuire, R., Byrne, G., Zahn, P., & Sleed, M. (2026). Epistemic Trust and Mentalization-Based Treatment for Parents: A Theory-Testing Case Study. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15289168.2026.2650297
02
Response to the 2024 ACP annual conference ‘Inside digital lives: growing up in the information age’: Decoding the algorithm of the digital world
This paper reflects on the impact of digital technologies on child development, drawing on ideas such as the collective unconscious- a concept referring to a shared layer of psychic life- and, in a post-Jungian frame, cultural complexes that shape and are shaped by social and emotional experience. It considers how digital media may contribute to experiences of fragmentation and anxiety, while also being understood as part of a wider cultural process that both disrupts and potentially transforms how connection, identity, and belonging are experienced in contemporary life.
Watson, P. (2025). Response to the 2024 ACP annual conference ‘Inside digital lives: growing up in the information age’: Decoding the algorithm of the digital world. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 51(1), 149–155.
