Presenters:  Kas Tuters, Marilyn Ruskin, and Sarah Usher

The choice of one’s partner is determined by a multitude of factors. In this program we will focus on the significant influence of early relationship experiences in our family of origin and how these affect the choice of an intimate partner later in life. When assessing and working with the problems that couples encounter, we consider the dyad as “the patient” and understand it as a complex (consciously and unconsciously) interacting unit within a larger system, influenced by two distinct backgrounds and internal worlds. The unconscious needs and defence mechanisms that get triggered can puzzle and undermine the couple’s wishes and goals. We will examine all of this through the use of clinical material.

Five Evenings:

1. Effect of early childhood relationships as a template of adult intimate relationships
2. The romantic phase and the vicissitudes of desire
3. Projective mechanisms and projective identification in couples relationships
4. Transference and counter-transference in couples therapy.
5. Therapeutic approaches to couples’ problems.