ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a short series of questions and stories or vignettes assembled in response to the invitation to speak on behalf of the relationship in relational psychotherapy at the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association Conference at Roehampton University in November 2009. The relational nature of human being is described by primate attachment and elaborated by the various versions of attachment theory. The 'psyche' in the term 'psychotherapy' determines that it is the type of therapy that a human self has with another human self. Furthermore, the human self is a construct that is predicated upon the existence of other human selves. As John Shlien explained, The mind emerges through a process of communication. This involves social interaction on the basis of what Mead calls 'significant symbols'. A significant symbol is one that is 'reflexive', that is, when it is used it presupposes another person, Acknowledging the other is essential to the existence of mind, from beginning to end'.
