Psychology In Seattle Podcast Donald Winnicott (Deep Dive) (2017 Rerun)
Mar 26, 2026
A deep dive into Donald Winnicott and his role in object relations. Personal reflections on why his ideas resonate with clinicians. Stories about his BBC radio parenting program and its surprising cultural impact. A discussion of his warnings about early boarding school and lasting influence on psychoanalytic thinking.
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Winnicott Shifted Psychoanalytic Thought
- Donald Winnicott helped shift psychoanalysis toward object relations and countertransference understanding.
- Kirk Honda credits Winnicott with shaping modern therapeutic perspectives and sees him as one of the field's most influential figures.
Winnicott's BBC Radio Parenting Program
- Winnicott broadcast parenting advice on the BBC in a show called The Ordinary Mother and Her Baby with over 600 episodes.
- Kirk finds the surviving radio episodes fascinating because they include concrete parenting directives from mid-century Britain.
Avoid Early Boarding School For Young Children
- Avoid sending very young children to boarding school as Winnicott argued it harms development and creates emotionally immature 'robots.'
- Kirk relays Winnicott's specific recommendation against that British cultural ideal as an example.