A conjoint phase of treatment involving a severely disturbed adolescent boy and his father.
A phase of father-son conjoint treatment during psychoanalytic psychotherapy of the son is described. The son, who met descriptive criteria for schizophrenia, felt most alive when planning revenge on his father; the father frantically dwelled on the son to the exclusion of virtually everything but work. The conjoint therapy complemented the son's individual therapy and led to a stable, hence analyzable transference. The outcome was generally positive in a case whose prognosis at the outset had appeared dismal. Questions concerning therapeutic change and clinical technique are raised. The author suggests that others in similar clinical circumstances might consider a phase of conjoint treatment.
Wilson
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005192:Family Health; D005196:Family Therapy; D005219:Father-Child Relations; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D014167:Transference, Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome