ABSTRACT
So much for therapist's questions. But how do we “handle” patients' questions? Young therapists become edgy if asked what they do about patients' questions. Supervisors have told them that such questions are best thought of as resistance (that is, misbehavior) and should not be answered. Some have even advised that they include in the initial instructions to the patient that the analyst will not answer questions, thus establishing that fiat as a matter of analytic policy. In this way, they say, we encourage the patient to look into the meaning of the question; not answering questions is essential to the success of the treatment and, the implication goes, is neither impersonal nor unmannerly.
