ABSTRACT

From a psychoanalytic point of view, good therapy was anchored in the notion that a “therapist was a non-specific human presence or ‘blank slate’ onto which the client’s feelings could be projected”. In this chapter, the author explains how she worked and determine if clinicians were a good fit before agreeing to set up an appointment, before meeting her face to face in the foyer of her home. Since she was blessed with the luxury of having an art studio in the basement of her home, she decided to offer her services in a space that was both personal and professional. In another effort to ensure privacy, she considered having clients enter the studio through the back door, but the walk down a grassy hill presented another safety concern. She gravitated toward more contemporary models of psychodynamic treatment which focused upon therapy as a relational process, the effectiveness of which hinged upon the therapeutic bond.