Explorations in Co-Psychotherapy

Abstract

Publications regarding the joint psychotherapy of individual patients or couples describe a variety of therapist-pairings, many styles of treatment approach, and an increasing interest, in the last two decades, in a treatment tool which impresses workers as having particular therapeutic effect with both research and training potential. The pairings of therapists show many permutations by profession, previous experience, and relatedness. In this ongoing study the partners are a male psychoanalytically trained psychiatrist and a female social psychology graduate. The style used has been referred to as multiple therapy although the term co-psychotherapy is less ambiguous and more specific. Patients seen in private practice readily accepted the joint participation of the junior partner, no matter whether they were already underway in psychotherapy or were newly referred. Co-psychotherapy appears to be more effective than single-handed psychotherapy, especially in the treatment of psychotic and borderline patients. When one member of a therapeutic pair is a trainee, co-psychotherapy offers an apprenticeship in psychotherapy by direct and intense immersion. Its value as part of psychotherapy training would seem to warrant more extensive deployment.

Cotherapy from the Trainee's Standpoint: Suggestions for Supervision

“…Cotherapy has the potential to be a personal growth experience. The literature contains numerous anecdotal accounts of rewarding collaborations (Benjamin, 1972;Napier & Whitaker, 1972;Siddall & Bosma, 1976;Watterson & Collinson, 1974). Cotherapy is comparable to marriage: It requires communication, conflict resolution skills, trust, and intimacy in order to be effective.…”