"The child is father to the man": dependency in professional relationships

This situation where two or more members of different professions are working jointly with the same client or patient is compared to the way the relationship between parents affects their children. It is suggested that stress inclines colleagues to infantile patterns of relationship, one partner being dominant and the other dependent. This is likely to detract from the service offered as a result of unwitting collusion and general evasion of responsibility. The need for adult or balanced patterns of professional dependency is argued and that this is as important to the patient's welfare as the type of treatment offered.