Skip main navigation
Close Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Psychotherapy Collection

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has updated its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including with new information specifically addressed to individuals in the European Economic Area. As described in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, this website utilizes cookies, including for the purpose of offering an optimal online experience and services tailored to your preferences.

Please read the entire Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. By closing this message, browsing this website, continuing the navigation, or otherwise continuing to use the APA's websites, you confirm that you understand and accept the terms of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, including the utilization of cookies.

×
Back to table of contents
No Access

Chapter 9.Identifying a Focus for Intervention

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9781615373529.ec09

Sections

Identifying a Priority Theme | Hierarchy of Priorities Guiding Intervention | Priority 1: Attending to Emergency Priorities—Dangerous Behavior and Threats to the Continuity of Treatment | Priority 2: Maintaining Integrity of the Treatment Frame, Including Ongoing Pursuit of Treatment Goals | Priority 3: Intervening at the Level of Affectively Dominant Object Relations | References

Excerpt

Any given therapy session presents the therapist with a wide array of possible issues to address. Some will be embedded in what the patient is saying to the therapist; others in what the patient is doing, or failing to do, in the treatment; and still others in the atmosphere the patient is creating in session and the feelings she is stimulating in the therapist. Other important issues may be split off from the patient’s communications in session, reflecting the impact of dissociative defenses on the patient’s cognitive processes and communication. This material may be expressed in the form of behaviors outside the sessions that are potentially harmful to the patient, are disruptive to the treatment, or potentially impede the patient’s progress in the treatment.

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.
  • Institutional Login
  • Sign in via OpenAthens
  • Register for access

  • Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.

    Not a subscriber?

    Subscribe Now / Learn More

    PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

    Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).