Forced Endings in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis: Attachment and Loss in Retirement explores the ambivalence the therapist may feel about letting go of a professional role which has sustained them. Anne Power explores the process of closing a private practice, from the first ethical decision-making through to the last day when the door of the therapy room shuts. She draws on the personal accounts of retired therapists and others who had to impose an ending on clients due to illness, to move house, to take maternity leave or a sabbatical.
Key Features
- Investigates the ambivalence therapists experience when ending their professional roles.
- Examines the ethical decision-making involved in closing a private practice.
- Includes personal accounts from retired therapists regarding imposed endings.
- Utilises attachment theory to understand coping mechanisms during imposed separations.
- Provides insights into the challenges faced by therapists taking breaks.
Additional Information
A forced ending is an intrusion of the clinician’s own needs into the therapeutic space. Anne Power shows how this might compromise the work but may also be an opportunity for deeper engagement. Forced Endings in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis opens up an area which has been considered taboo in the profession so that future cohorts can benefit from the reflections and insights of this earlier generation. It will support clinicians making this transition and aims to support ethical practice so that clients are not exposed to unnecessary risks of the sudden termination of a long treatment. This book will be essential reading for practicing psychotherapists and psychoanalysts, and to undergraduate and post-graduate students in clinical psychology, psychiatry and social work.
