Paper Announcements by Roy Barsness (USA)

Therapeutic practices in relational psychoanalysis: A qualitative study

(2020). Therapeutic practices in relational psychoanalysis: A qualitative study. Psychoanalytic Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pap0000319

As contemporary relational psychoanalytic theory has reworked historical models through a perspectival, postconstructionist lens, new techniques and clinical skills are required. Because there are no single studies specific to the practices of relational psychoanalysis, the purpose of this qualitative study is to determine what a relational psychoanalyst actually does. As evidence-based models continue to dominate the field of psychology, it is necessary for psychoanalysis (and other existential models) to clearly state outcomes of analytic treatment, explain and demonstrate fundamentals of practice, and report how analytic treatment aligns with current research supporting the therapeutic relationship as the key component to successful treatment. By establishing basic fundamentals in the practice of Relational psychoanalysis, this article offers “techniques” with as clear a frame and purpose as other evidenced-based models. This study resulted in 7 core categories common to the practice of a relational psychoanalysis: therapeutic intent; therapeutic stance; deep listening; attending to the there and then/here and now; patterning/linking; repetition/working through; and courageous speech/disciplined spontaneity.

GIF