Frieda Fordham (born Winefride Rothwell; 23 February 1903 – 7 January 1988) was a psychiatric social worker, Jungian analyst and writer. Her second husband was the innovative analytical psychologist,

Michael Fordham Michael Scott Montague Fordham (4 August 1905 – 14 April 1995) was an English child psychiatrist and Jungian analyst. He was a co-editor of the English translation of C.G. Jung's '' Collected Works''. His clinical and theoretical collabora ...

Life

Rothwell's initial career as a dancer was cut short when at seventeen she married Percy Campbell Hoyle in 1920. They had two sons. After the marriage ended she studied at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

and trained there as a psychiatric social worker. She took up a post with the '

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

Education Committee's Psychological Service and later with the

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

Child Guidance Centre. While there in 1936 she met a young psychiatrist, Michael Fordham, whom she married in 1940. She later trained as a Jungian analyst and was a founding member of the

Society of Analytical Psychology The Society of Analytical Psychology, known also as the SAP, incorporated in London, England, in 1945 is the oldest training organisation for Jungian analysts in the United Kingdom. Its first Honorary President in 1946 was Carl Jung. The societ ...

, with her husband, Michael and six others. She became a training analyst and was the author, among other works, of a classic text, ''An Introduction to Jung's Psychology'', first published by

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

in 1953 and subsequently much reprinted and translated into several languages. Frieda went to stay with the Jungs in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and discussed her work with them, especially with

Emma Jung Emma Jung (born Emma Marie Rauschenbach, 30 March 1882 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss Jungian analyst and author. She married Carl Jung, financing and helping him to become the prominent psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, and ...

. She was a primary contributor in the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' for the entry about Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung. She was also responsible for the famous opening words of the long-running

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

children's radio programme, ''

Listen with Mother ''Listen with Mother'' was a BBC radio programme for children which ran between 16 January 1950 and 10 September 1982. It was originally produced by Freda Lingstrom although for the majority of its run it was produced by George Dixon, and was p ...

'' - "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin." After a decade of failing health, she died early in 1988. She was buried in Old Jordans in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, England.Find a Grave: Burial site in Buckinghamshire
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Publications

* ''An Introduction to Jung's Psychology''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd. 1953 * "The care of regressed patients and the child archetype". ''J. Anal. Psychol''. 9, 1. 1964 * "Some views on individuation". ''J. Anal. Psychol''. 14, 1. 1969

Life

Publications

References

Further reading