Loss and Survival: Experiences of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists Working Remotely During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

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 p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of psychotherapy Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 182 - 197
Main Authors Taylor, Lucy, Kegerreis, Sue, Rohleder, Poul
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2023
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
ANALYTIC FRAME
COVID-19
COVID‐19 PANDEMIC
Pandemics
Psychoanalysis
Psychotherapists
REMOTE WORK
THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0265-9883
1752-0118
DOI:10.1111/bjp.12800