Hamish Canham Essay Prize 2026

On Wednesday 3 June, the winners of the Hamish Canham Essay Prize 2026 were celebrated at the Tavistock Centre.

On Wednesday 3 June 2026, members of our child psychotherapy discipline hosted the 2026 Hamish Canham Essay Prize in conjunction with the Tavistock and Portman Charity.

Named in memory of Hamish Canham (1962–2003), a gifted writer and child psychotherapist who worked at the Tavistock and Portman, the prize is open to current students and recent graduates of our clinical and applied psychoanalytic courses. Judged by a multi-disciplinary panel, two prizes of £500 were awarded for outstanding psychoanalytic writing: one for a clinical paper and one for an applied paper. 

The evening was chaired by Professor Edward Harcourt, Chair of the Tavistock and Portman Charity, and featured readings from both of the winning essays, along with responses from a panel that included Dexter Benjamin, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Professional Lead for Child Psychotherapy; Matthew Chuard, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist and Joint Head of the Psychoanalytic Portfolio; Sarina Campbell, Consultant Child Psychotherapist and Co-Course Lead for our Doctoral Training in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy; and Felicity Tyson, Child Psychotherapist and Psychoanalytic Studies Course Lead. The judges were impressed by the overall depth of quality of submissions, from which two worthy winners were selected.

The winning Applied Paper, Moving Apart Without Falling Apart: Observing the Emotional Task of Separation, by Siobhan Harper, charted the emotional challenges of separation for baby Rowan during the first year of life. It was described by Dr Felicity Tyson, discussant for the paper, as an evocative, beautifully written paper, remarkable for its close attention to detail in the observational material. On the evening, in response to the paper, Dr Tyson commented on Harper’s moving and detailed observations as she charted both the development and the emotional complexities and challenges of separation in the first year of life. Siobhan described the award as “an unexpected and rewarding achievement”, saying: “I felt honoured that my work resonated with the judges and was recognised amongst such high-quality submissions. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my ideas and proud to have my work acknowledged through this award.” 

The winning clinical paper, When Differences Hold: How Deafness and Assistive Technology Can Mediate Thinking with Care-Experienced Children, was written by Pippa Bealing, a third-year Child Psychotherapy trainee on our doctoral training programme. Upon receiving the award, Pippa spoke of her pleasure at winning and the wide range of emotions she experienced when she received the news. As discussant, Ms Campbell commented on the highly original nature of the paper and its innovation in breaking new ground. The judging panel were also extremely impressed by the original use of theory and the sensitivity of the clinical work.

The event was well-attended by students, trainees, staff and members connected with the charity. The evening showcased high-quality papers and illustrated the clear links and developmental lines between the training in applied and clinical work.