The Bernard L. Pacella, MD Parent Child Center

About Us: Erma Brenner's Small House

Erma Brenner, the creator of The Small House, our friend and mentor, died in October 2001.

Erma loved children, loved to play with them, and was a passionate teacher, teaching parents and professionals the magic of play for all children. Her life's work was Play and Psychoanalysis. She created The Small House, a play modality for crisis prevention, crisis intervention, and crisis management, where children have the opportunity to express their wishes, fantasies, and anxieties under the watchful eye of benevolent and non-intrusive adults. As Erma told us:

''The Small House was designed as a magic place where the adults were the children's play companions. They would take any role in the children's fantasy play that the children asked them to take.''

The joy of playing together

Erma often reminded us, “Childhood is a time of wonder;” a time when imaginative play is a central activity. From the beginning, parent and infant can celebrate this time of wonder by having fun and taking delight in one another. Through play, the infant can learn to be with another person, create and share experiences; and feel pleasure and joy.

During play, a child's behavior varies. Sometimes, he or she may want the adult to interact, and may even direct the actions of the adult; at other times, the child may want the adult to simply sit and watch, without the adult's active participation.

The more a mother is attuned to her child, the more she can respond to her child's needs appropriately — whether interacting in response to the child's initiation, initiating play herself; or at other times, watching her child play, without intruding.

These principles of play are central in our work at The Pacella Parent Child Center. This is a legacy of Erma Brenner. In 1997, she was the first Honoree of The Friends of The Pacella Parent Child Center. In 2000, The Erma Brenner Research Fund was established in her honor, where she was Senior Consultant.