ABSTRACT
In this paper I consider the experiences around the time boundary of therapeutic sessions of both therapists and patients working remotely during the pandemic. I discuss the precision of electronic time and the different dynamics around the beginning of sessions. The business of arriving, whether early, on time or late, has different drivers and meanings in the online world. I consider how difficult it is to take up these dynamics adequately when faced with the real uncertainties of internet connections. Communications between therapist and patient around time boundaries have also presented new challenges, and the way sessions end is very different. The experience of time within sessions is altered, and sessions are no longer bracketed with the journey to and from the consulting room. The dynamics around power and vulnerability are different and the management of time boundaries bring these dynamics vividly to life. The paper closes with some practical considerations around remote working as this is likely to be a part of our practice even after the pandemic is finally over. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the findings of a research project that explored the experiences of psychoanalytic psychotherapists based in the UK during the first period of lockdown in the COVID 19 pandemic. Groups of therapists met regularly to share and reflect on the impact of the sudden changes to their practice, and this paper pulls together the key themes which emerged from these discussions. The overarching preoccupations of the psychotherapists were those of loss and survival, with sub‐themes of difficulty holding the frame;reduced security and safety;challenged analytic technique;and altered relationship dynamics. The groups were highly valued by participants as offering support during times of unprecedented stress, while also providing a forum to learn from and make creative use of the challenges presented by working remotely. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
In this paper I consider the experiences around the time boundary of therapeutic sessions of both therapists and patients working remotely during the pandemic. I discuss the precision of electronic time and the different dynamics around the beginning of sessions. The business of arriving, whether early, on time or late, has different drivers and meanings in the online world. I consider how difficult it is to take up these dynamics adequately when faced with the real uncertainties of internet connections. Communications between therapist and patient around time boundaries have also presented new challenges, and the way sessions end is very different. The experience of time within sessions is altered, and sessions are no longer bracketed with the journey to and from the consulting room. The dynamics around power and vulnerability are different and the management of time boundaries bring these dynamics vividly to life. The paper closes with some practical considerations around remote working as this is likely to be a part of our practice even after the pandemic is finally over.
ABSTRACT
There is so much to think about and write about, in relation to the impact of the coronavirus crisis on our work, on our selves and on our clients. Countless papers will be or have already been written on adapting ourselves to the new setting, or lack of it, on how we have adjusted our psychodynamic techniques to the online or telephone environment and on the different power dynamics involved in this new way of working. Many of us are busily discussing these issues with our peers and seeking to redefine what is essential to the approach and what can be jettisoned while still retaining a psychoanalytic focus. The aim of the paper is to focus on a somewhat different element - the deeper psychological impact on us of being physically vulnerable in a new way and its effect on the clinical work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)