Transitional Objects

From previous posts, you’ll know that mental health illness is a cause close to my heart. Last week, I gave a presentation to a team of staff and volunteers, who work for SMASH, Swindon Mentoring and Self Help. As a SMASH mentor myself, I have first hand experience of the excellent work which this local charity does towards helping children and young people. SMASH works with youngsters who are suffering trauma or difficulties, and need some extra help to regain their footing in life. Last week’s talk was about children and mental health. During the presentation, I covered about some of the factors which can influence the likelihood of children developing mental health illness, and discussed signs we can look for, as mentors, in identifying possible problems. One of the areas which people found particularly interesting was the concept of transitional objects.

Transitional objects are things which children hold a strong emotional attachment to. Common examples include soft toys and blankets, but the list really is open-ended. The object has great significance to the child, and is something they use to support them as they grow, progressing to new developmental stages of life. It can be seen as a substitute for the child’s mother (or primary care giver), providing comfort when the mother is unable to do so. Transitional objects might provide security at night as the child falls asleep. If they are separated from their mother, the item offers comfort. If children are worried, the item is there, to offer reassurance.

Transitional objects are not indicators of mental health issues. The items are things which most children will have at some point, usually during early life stages. Adults might have similar items, which are not so much used as transitional objects, but which provide a feeling of attachment. Wearing an item of jewellery which used to belong to a parent, or carrying a photograph of a loved one in a wallet might offer support and comfort.

The reason for talking about transitional objects in a presentation on mental health was that some children use transitional objects to offer support when their primary care giver is emotionally absent. Imagine a child whose mother suffers from mental ill health herself, who cannot always offer the emotional support which her child needs. At these times, the child may turn to their transitional object for comfort and reassurance. Not because the mother is physically absent, but because she is emotionally absent. These children may grow to have a continued need for transitional objects beyond the time at which their peers leave such items behind. As adults, the same people might need transitional objects, more so than the items of sentimental value which other adults hold dear. The critical role of transitional objects can be very misunderstood in both young people and adults.

As mentors, we work with children and young people from a range of backgrounds. We offer support and encouragement, helping the mentees to take positive steps during their time with SMASH. It is very important that we understand as much as we can about how our charges are feeling. Their life situations might be far outside our own experience, but by developing our understanding, we can build trust and empathy in working together. If this means that we work with teenagers who have their own transitional objects, it is vital that we recognise the importance these objects have to the young person. As adults, we need to accept the object as an extension of the individual.

Children’s Mental Health Week is approaching (5-11 February 2018), and what better time to reflect on children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. The charity MQ states that 7 in 10 children who experience mental ill health have not received support at an early enough stage. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, NSPCC, is calling on the government to move the focus of mental health services towards early intervention in dealing with children’s mental health issues.

You might ask what children’s mental health has to do with a photography blog. The blog is an organic record of life as a freelance photographer. It is evolving as my business grows, and as I branch out into other areas. Again, from previous posts, you may know that I have created a set of photographs depicting some of my own feelings in relation to depression. I hope that the posts which are not photography specific are, nevertheless, of interest.