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Concurrent therapies: a model for collaboration between psychoanalysts and other therapists
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
|August 18, 2001
Summary
Psychoanalysts can enhance therapy by communicating between therapists treating the same family. This collaborative cross-communication model addresses transference and countertransference dynamics for improved patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychotherapy
- Psychoanalysis
- Family Therapy
Background:
- Psychoanalysts often treat individuals in couples therapy or whose partners are in individual therapy.
- A historical prohibition against inter-therapist communication within families exists.
- Therapeutic progress in concurrent family therapies can stall.
Observation:
- Experience suggests that specific therapist communication can significantly benefit concurrent therapies.
- Most analysts adhere to the prohibition against communication between therapists treating family members.
- Such communication, when appropriately managed, can overcome therapeutic impasses.
Findings:
- A review of the literature reveals advantages, disadvantages, and impediments to collaborative cross-communication.
- A model for ongoing therapist discussion is presented, focusing on transference-countertransference dynamics.
- Two clinical examples illustrate the application of the proposed model.
Implications:
- This model offers a structured approach to inter-therapist communication in psychoanalysis and family therapy.
- It highlights the potential for enhanced therapeutic outcomes through collaborative practice.
- The model provides a framework for addressing complex transference-countertransference configurations in shared therapeutic fields.