Eglé Laufer (1925-2021)

Date published: 10.11.2021

Sadly, Eglé Laufer passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, the 7th of November 2021. She was a Distinguished Fellow of the British Psychoanalytic Society and Founder and President of the Brent Centre for Young People.

Eglé was born in Vienna in 1925 and psychoanalysis was already engrained in her family. Aged seven she moved to London with her mother and stepfather, where her mother worked as a child psychiatrist and her stepfather as a mathematician.

After initially studying mathematics and physics. Eglé later decided to train as a Psychoanalyst. With fellow Psychoanalysts Mervyn Glasser, Myer Wohl, and led by her husband Moses (Moe) Laufer, Eglé founded the Brent Centre for Young People (BCYP) in 1967. Together with Moe and Mervyn, she directed key psychoanalytic research into adolescent breakdown, which the Brent Centre continues to this day. Eglé was also very interested in female adolescent development and psychotic functioning. She and Moe created a unique approach for engaging young people, called Adolescent Exploratory Therapy, which tailored a clinical, psychoanalytic approach to reach vulnerable adolescents who were often overlooked. She will be greatly missed.

Dr Maxim de Sauma, BCYP Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Director, said: “All of us at the Brent Centre are very saddened by Eglé’s passing. An inspiring, charismatic figure, she was dedicated to reaching more young people with innovative approaches to therapy, and was closely involved with the Centre until the end.  We will all miss her warmth and compassion and are sending our deepest condolences to her family.”