The case of David: on the couch for sixty minutes, nine years of once-a-week treatment.
This paper illustrates a unique case of object relations psychoanalytic psychotherapy on a once-a-week treatment basis. The work of developmental mourning that would be thought to require two to five sessions a week was accomplished on a once-a-week basis. The analyst adjusted the treatment hour, in this one case, to 60 minutes, as opposed to the 45- or 50-minute hour. When treatment began, the analyst made an intuitive judgment to increase the patient's one session a week--which the patient made clear was all he was ready to do--to 60 minutes. The analyst made time in her practice for this 60-minute session and has continued with the patient using this format for 9 years of treatment. This had led up to the current stage of treatment, which has been so critical to the patient's self-integration process.
Kavaler-Adler
Susan
S
Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, USA, SUSKA674@aol.com
D000328:Adult; D000786:Anger; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D014167:Transference, Psychology