‘Making Room for the Other(s)’: A consideration of psychodynamic counselling with women with Asperger’s Syndrome

Abstract

This paper explores psychodynamic therapy with young women with Aspergers Syndrome through the use of a composite case study. It seeks to make sense of a female patient’s obsession with a figure from celebrity culture – ‘Tom’ from ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. The potential use of ‘Tom’ by the patient as an idealised object, an autistic object, a transitional object and a transformative object is considered. Drawing on Rosenfeld’s concept of pathological narcissism and Meltzer’s concept of ‘aesthetic reciprocity’, the paper seeks to make sense of both the defences that the patient utilises and the impact of the deficits she has experienced. Attention is given to the development of the therapy through the use of play and work in the transference. Gradually, the patient becomes more able to tolerate separateness and in doing so becomes more connected to her own internal world and the feelings of others. In so doing, she becomes more aware of her actual social marginalisation and gains a greater sense of awareness of her diagnosis.

Keywords:

• psychodynamic psychotherapy
• counselling
• play
• women
• celebrity
• Asperger’s Syndrome

Notes

1. Bethan is a composite client based upon my experience of working psychodynamically with young women with Asperger’s Syndrome.

2. Play can often be a useful way of engaging young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome who often do not see this as childlike in the way a neuro-typical young adult might. Perhaps this is partly because in retreating from reality they have often missed out on developmental opportunities.

3. Leona Lewis is a pop star. Bethan was obsessed with her before she was obsessed with Tom. Bethan experienced herself as rejected by Leona when she got the impression that Leona wouldn’t want Bethan to sing one of her songs. Her love for Leona then turned to hatred and she was replaced by Tom. This has possible implications for understanding Bethan’s sexuality that are not my focus here.