Subjective Representations of Therapeutic Relationship

1. Subjective Representations of Therapeutic Relationship Batista, L.; Aragão Oliveira, R.; Senra, H.; Oliveira, C.; Nunes, C.; Loureiro, L.; Oliveira, S.; Amaral Dias, C. | Contact: luisbatista87@gmail.com Introduction The present study, financed by the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), focus on the subjective representations of the psychotherapeutic process. Specifically, on the clients’ subjective representations about the relationship with psychotherapist. This therapeutic relationship, can be operationalized as a tool which the client use to experiment his/her lived inner experiences (e.g., anxieties, thoughts, fears, etc.) with the availability of the professional. Toward this relationship, the client can give new meanings to the lived inner experiences, allowing the change on the symptom/ complaint as in him/herself. Results Comparison between Initial and Final MomentsInitial Moment Goals This study aims to analyse the change perception about the psychotherapeutic process, towards the patients perception more than 1 year after the psychotherapeutic process ends. Final Moment Participants 5 therapists identified 13 adult patients that were in a long treatment of psychoanalytical psychotherapy, or psychoanalysis. The treatment took place in a private clinic of psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychiatry located in Lisbon. When patients were contacted by an investigator, this one didn’t know who were the patients nor even which psychotherapist had identified them. InitialMoment Vs. Final Moment • Method • Patients were contact by a blind process; • Patients were contacted by their therapists whose asked them to be contacted by an investigator; • The investigator didn’t know who was the patient’s psychotherapist and what kind of therapeutic process did the patients. • Giorgi’sInterpretative Phenomenological Analysis (2011) was the chosen method for the data analysis. Conclusion From the data analysis, a change can be realized regarding the subjective representations of the patients about therapeutic relationship. About an initial moment, patients reported more questions/ feelings about themselves. On the other way around, about a final moment, patients reported more contents about the psychotherapist and the therapeutic relationship. QuestionsAnalized: - Is it possible to describe how do you feel and / or felt your psychotherapist?; - How did you experienced the relationship with the psychotherapist throughout the therapeutic process?