Andrzej Karol Skarbek (10 January 1925 – 16 November 2011), also known as Andrew Skarbek, was a Polish

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

who worked in Britain and became a pioneer "who helped to develop psychotherapy services in the NHS" (

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

).''Count Andrzej Skarbek''
Telegraph

Early life

Skarbek was born at his family's estate in

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

(now Lviv in Ukraine). His father was Stanisław Skarbek, a cavalry officer in the

Polish Lancers Uhlans (; ; ; ; ) were a type of light cavalry, primarily armed with a lance. While first appearing in the cavalry of Lithuania and then Poland, Uhlans were quickly adopted by the mounted forces of other countries, including France, Russia, Pr ...

. His mother was Zofia Czecz.http://www.sejm-wielki.pl/b/sw.53145: Skarbek's descent on Polish genealogical site. He had a brother, Jan. In 1939, the family was forced to flee west from the invading Soviets. By war's end, Skarbek arrived in Britain. His cousin was

Krystyna Skarbek Maria Krystyna Janina Skarbek, (, ; 1 May 1908 – 15 June 1952), also known as Christine Granville, was a Polish agent of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. She became celebrated for her daring exploi ...

, who worked for British secret services (the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Andrzej identified her body when she was stabbed to death in a

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

hotel, where she then lived, on 15 June 1952.

Career

Skarbek learned English on his arrival in Britain and entered St Mary's Hospital,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, qualifying as a doctor in 1954. He eventually met psychoanalyst

Donald Winnicott Donald Woods Winnicott (7 April 1896 – 25 January 1971) was an English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who was especially influential in the field of object relations theory and developmental psychology. He was a leading member of the Br ...

and decided to specialise in

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

. He started to be known as Andrew Skarbek and in 1969 became clinical director of the London Clinic of Psychotherapy. He later worked at

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...

, King George Hospital, Ilford, and in 1977 he became consultant psychotherapist at

Runwell Runwell is a village near Wickford and a civil parish on the A132 road, in the Chelmsford District, in the English county of Essex. The village is surrounded by neighbouring parishes such as Battlesbridge and Rettendon. Amenities Runwell ...

Rochford Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...

and

Basildon Basildon ( ) is the largest town in the borough of Basildon, within the county of Essex, England. It has a population of 107,123. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1159. It lies east of Central London, south of the city of Chelmsford and ...

Hospitals. There he developed a

psychodynamic psychotherapy Psychodynamic psychotherapy or psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a form of psychological therapy. Its primary focus is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension, which is inner conflict with ...

service.

Family

In 1952, Skarbek married Shelagh de Fane Edge Morgan. They had four children. They divorced, and in 1974 Skarbek married

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and writer

Marjorie Wallace Marjorie Wallace (born January 23, 1954) is an American actress, television host, model and beauty queen. In 1973, she made history as the first woman from the United States to be crowned Miss World, but just 104 days later, pageant officials ...

. Wallace went on to found the mental health charity, SANE. Their two sons, Stefan and Sacha, are music producers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skarbek, Andrzej 1925 births 2011 deaths Physicians from Lviv Polish psychologists Psychotherapists Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom