A Relational Psychoanalytic Approach to Couples Therapy

Ringstrom's relational approach to couples therapy is based on three themes: actualization of self-experience in the context of a committed, long-term intimate relationship; mutual recognition of each partner's subjective experience; and the relationship itself having "a mind of its own." These themes are further elaborated in six nonlinear steps, each presented as a whole chapter with clinical illustrations and concluding with practical principle guidelines for their employment in therapy. These steps include addressing the therapist's attuning to the partners' "hopes and dreads," honoring each one's unique perspective, exploring the developmental history of each partner, examining their conflictual pasts and engaging in enactments, enriching self-realization, and facilitatng mutual attunement and personal growth. The book concludes with a user-friendly chapter of "frequently asked questions" and answers about this novel relational approach to couples therapy.