ABSTRACT
A number of issues are raised for analysts to consider: their physical (rather than just emotional) availability to their patients, the timing, and length of vacations, timing of elective surgeries, contact permitted in between sessions via telephone, e-mail, text, and Skype. These are important factors affecting the welfare of patients. The analyst’s need for vacations and the patient’s need for vacations and, for both, a break from treatment are acknowledged. However, it has been observed that some analysts take many vacations during the year. Their own patients are affected as well as the patients of their supervisees who are getting no supervision during those weeks when the analyst is away. Those patients whose issues are based on parental abandonment and neglect are especially affected. Another issue for “the analyst’s superego” is that of the number of hours of patients seen each day. How much energy does an analyst seeing 15 patients in a day have for each patient, particularly for those who come at the end of the day? Each of us is guilty of putting our own needs ahead of our patients from time to time. We must consider how much of this is ethical.
