A conjoint phase of treatment involving a severely disturbed adolescent boy and his father

A phase of father-son conjoint treatment during psychoanalytic psychotherapy of the son is described. The son, who met descriptive criteria for schizophrenia, felt most alive when planning revenge on his father; the father frantically dwelled on the son to the exclusion of virtually everything but work. The conjoint therapy complemented the son's individual therapy and led to a stable, hence analyzable transference. The outcome was generally positive in a case whose prognosis at the outset had appeared dismal. Questions concerning therapeutic change and clinical technique are raised. The author suggests that others in similar clinical circumstances might consider a phase of conjoint treatment.