Difficult dyads: Understanding affective and relational components from an intersubjecitve perspective

Abstract

An intersubjective perspective suggests that the therapeutic process consists of a dynamic interplay between the two participants. Clinicians, like clients, have relational needs. When their legitimate need to relate to another person is rejected and/or when the need to feel significant is undermined, the worker may feel helpless, hopeless, or nonexistent. Vignettes from the crucial beginning phase are used to illustrate how the clinician's feeling states may contribute to difficult treatment situations. Strategies for managing feeling states and enhancing tolerance are proposed. The paper demonstrates how such strategies may facilitate the treatment process.

Notes

Maryellen Noonan, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at Shirley M. Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, at New York University.