ABSTRACT
Establishing and maintaining the framework-the setting, participants and boundariesis crucial to the therapeutic alliance and work. The setting provides the framework within which the patient/s will be building up their trust and attachment to the therapist and therapeutic process. As in other analytically based therapeutic encounters, emphasis is placed on the reliability and predictability of the setting. Although not predicated on ‘sameness’ as in individual therapy, e.g. the parent-infant psychotherapy sessions may not be held on the same day/time each week, when change is introduced, such as a change in frequency of sessions, there will be adequate discussion and preparation for this. Reliability is introduced by the therapist’s availability at the set times and her mental stance (see Chapter 2).
