Press Release - WCMT Fellowship Award

South West London, Parent-Infant Psychotherapist presented with prestigious Churchill Medallion at London award ceremony

Nick Danziger presents Churchill Medallion to Yvonne Osafo

Yvonne Osafo, a parent-infant psychotherapist from South West London, was presented with a Churchill Medallion at a prestigious award ceremony in London this week (Wednesday 13 June). The medallion was awarded to Yvonne to mark the successful completion of her overseas research as a Churchill Fellow.

For her Fellowship, Yvonne travelled to Sweden, Norway and the USA to investigate best practice in parent-infant psychotherapy and to learn from giants in this field, in order to contribute to the practice of parent-infant psychotherapy in the UK and the training of parent-infant psychotherapists. She plans to replicate some of the outstanding practices she observed here in the UK.

Speaking about her Fellowship, Yvonne said, "the evidence accrued over recent years supports the view that early intervention with parents and their babies in the first two years has a lifetime impact on the quality of their relationship and well-being. However, there is a need for facilities, and accredited and competent clinicians to do the work of early intervention when there are difficulties in the early parent-infant relationship. As a parent-infant psychotherapist, the focus of my work is on parents-to-be and parents of babies up to 24 months (the first 1001 critical days), helping them to build stronger bonds and positive relationships with their babies. They are helped to talk through their worries about their baby, think together about how past experiences might be affecting the relationship with their baby, receive information on child development and helped to see their child’s point of view. The intervention is grounded in psychodynamic theory and developmental science and involves a collaboration with key community services, such as health visiting, midwifery, perinatal services, children’s centers, early years and the voluntary sector.

My travels overseas gave me new ideas for how we can improve things in the UK by developing an integrated national strategy to guide the work with parents and their babies. This will require the training and ongoing professional development of a workforce that feel nurtured and well cared for so that they are better able to nurture and care for parents and babies that are struggling to form a healthy bond.

According to Isaac Newton: "If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants" (Newton to Hooke, 5 Feb. 1676; Corres I, 416). Being a Churchill Fellow was a life-changing experience because it allowed me to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ in Scandinavia and the USA and to learn from their expertise. It has given me the belief that I can contribute to significant change in the UK. I’d urge anyone who wants to make a difference in their chosen field to apply for a Churchill Fellowship.”

The Fellowships were set up in memory of Sir Winston Churchill on his death in 1965, and over 5,400 Fellowships have been awarded since then. Anyone can apply, regardless of age, qualifications or background. Churchill Fellows are funded to travel for 4-8 weeks overseas, researching new ideas that can make a difference to their communities or professions in the UK. Applications are now open until 18 September 2018, for travel in 2019, at www.wcmt.org.uk.

This year’s Churchill Medallions were presented by distinguished photojournalist Nick Danziger, whose career began with a Churchill Fellowship that took him across Central Asia in 1982. This year Danziger presented medallions to 130 Churchill Fellows at the biennial Churchill Fellows Award Ceremony. It was held at Church House, Westminster, which was Winston Churchill’s temporary office during World War Two.

The Churchill Medallion itself is a unique piece designed by world-famous glass artist Professor Brian Clarke, himself a Churchill Fellow of 1974. He is particularly noted for his architectural and stained glass. It features a digital image of Winston Churchill in striking blue cloisonné enamel on a solid silver disc, with the Fellows’ name engraved on the reverse. Clarke explains: “The digitised image of Sir Winston is drawn from the iconic portrait by celebrated photographer Yousuf Karsh, taken in 1941. It is intended to glow with the reflected light of the silver, through the transparent vitreous enamel.”

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Notes to editors

To speak to Yvonne, contact 07764 236676 or yvonne.osafo@btinternet.com. You can follow Yvonne’s travels here http://www.yvonneosafopsychotherapist.com/single-post/2016/11/03/Im-off-on-my-WCMT-travel-fellowship.

For more photos from the award ceremony, contact 020 7799 1660 or press@wcmt.org.uk

Churchill Fellowships

Churchill Fellowships offer a life-changing opportunity for UK citizens to research innovations worldwide and make change happen when they return. They are awarded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, a UK charity.

Applications are now open for the Churchill Fellowships, and are available across 12 award categories, which address current challenges facing the UK.

Churchill Fellows are fully funded to research new ideas and best practice overseas for 4-8 weeks, in topics and countries of their own choice. Everyone can apply, regardless of age, background or qualifications, so long as they are a UK citizen aged 18 or over.

Applications can be made online at www.wcmt.org.uk. Deadline for applications is 18 September 2018.

Nick Danziger

Nick Danziger was born in London but grew up in Monaco and Switzerland. In 1982, he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship, and used it to follow ancient trade routes, travelling on foot or by traditional local transport from Turkey to China, documenting his adventures in diaries. The diaries and photographs formed his first book, the best-selling Danziger’s Travels in 1987.

He has since travelled the world taking photographs and making documentary films, and has become one of the world’s most renowned photojournalists. His photographs have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, and toured museums and galleries internationally.

For more on Nick Danziger, visit www.nickdanziger.com.