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This article refers to the results of a prospective effect evaluation study of three psychodynamic milieu-therapeutic institutions for children, which included cognitive and projective testing. After introducing milieu-therapy and explaining its roots in psychoanalytic and developmental thinking, the specific results of the research evaluation are outlined. It is found that environmental therapy is very efficient on the level of ego-functioning, but concern is expressed in regards to the relational abilities of the children. These findings are discussed in relation to the practical, organisational and theoretical principles of the actual treatment in order to find ways to improve our understanding of how milieu-therapy works and how it can be improved. Finally, we discuss the ways in which recent theoretical and empiric research emphasising the importance of the affect regulation and mentalisation can contribute to the psychoanalytic theories in the milieu-therapy.

CHESSSS is an open source project we propose to the Rorschach community. It can be freely distributed and adjusted to one’s particular needs. We have paid much attention to make it as efficient and user-friendly an application as possible. Its use and even its programming do not require a high level of skills in informatics. This project provides solutions for issues concerning computing Rorschach Supplementary Scales, interrater reliability, standardization of Form Quality tables across countries, the search for items in the FQ tables, and the creation of databases. It also addresses the complexity of RCS interpretation. We do hope that CHESSSS will help clinicians, researchers and students to manage their own data as desired in a free and autonomous manner.