It takes as long as it takes

While many therapists of various clinical orientations see a handful of patients for decades, the phenomenon is not discussed very much in the field—prevailing culture disparages dependency, the history of psychoanalytic literature has stressed termination and decades-long therapeutic relationships have been virtually ignored. In 2010, the author conducted a qualitative study exploring psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapists’ experience of therapy cases that have lasted 15 years or longer. This chapter explores the author’s experience with long-term therapy cases along with the experiences of other therapists with whom she has spoken.