A Tape Recorder as a Therapeutic “Witness” in the Treatment of an 8‐Year‐Old Girl

A tape‐recorded session of an early moment in an 8‐year‐old girl's psychotherapy experience is presented. The use of the recording device is immediately taken up by the child as a means of creating a “witness” for her depiction of both intensely distorted experiences of her therapist and poignant portrayals of her life as miserable and despairing. A discussion of both the process and the content generated from the use of the tape recorder is described, with implications drawn as to its effectiveness in the therapeutic process.