ABSTRACT
The relationship in the consulting room becomes witness to, a stage for, as well as a participant in, a unique form of human drama. Therapy addresses the crucial issues in two ways. Firstly, as one might expect, it examines how particular themes unfold in a patient's life. Secondly, it explores how the issues of trust, betrayal, disappointment, love, hate, sexuality and so on occur in and shape the relationship between therapist and patient. The popular view of the therapist, generated from novels and movies, is of a silent, implacable listener unaffected by the most shocking revelations. For the psychotherapeutic couple – therapist and patient, analyst and analysand – part of what makes for an effective therapy is the collaborative nature of the venture. The therapist's knowledge derives from an understanding of psychological processes combined with an acute sensitivity in knowing what to say and how to say it – and when to say nothing at all.
