Working Psychoanalytically with the Family as an Adjunct to Individual Treatment

Abstract

Intensive individual psychotherapy can often be augmented by working with the family or partner as well. Although that work is often undertaken in separate treatments, there are times when it is useful for the individual therapist to participate in those interactions. Co-therapy helps to attenuate problems that can arise. I first describe conceptualizations underlying such work and then offer several case examples to illustrate.

Keywords:

• Psychoanalytic treatment
• co-therapy
• dialogical mentalization-based

Disclosure statement

There are no competing interests to declare.