5. A New Parading for Presenting Patient Treatment:
Contextualism
Presenter: |
Stuart D. Perlman, PhD |
Chair: |
Allen M. Siegel, MD |
Self Psychology Page | 22nd Conference Program
Summary
There has been a movement in psychoanalytic theory over the past thirty years from a "traditional" perspective, to self psychology, intersubjectivity, and relational psychology which has entailed an increasing focus on the intricacies of the system and its mutual interplay rather than just focusing on the patient. A new format of what is considered a standard case presentation needs to be put forth as a common practice to keep pace with these changes. The personhood and reactions of the therapist in the analysis are becoming more recognized in theory and at times in supervision, but in the literature and patient write-ups in professional settings the therapist's personal contribution and the implications of the larger context are usually missing. In this new paradigm for written and oral presentation of patient treatment in professional settings what is critical will vary with each treatment such that one standard list of topics to include does not fit all treatment descriptions. In this paper I am therefore not proposing such a list but am encouraging more flexibility. Examples of of this new paradigm and how to include the personhood of the therapist and the context of treatment are presented.