The sofa is better than Freud

Abstract

When it comes to the therapeutic dialog between doctor and patient, psychiatrist or psychotherapist and user, there are several factors that are taken into consideration, though some of these aren’t of a specific psychological model, they fulfill an important role both in the management of the relationship itself as well as in the care.

Their importance in the therapeutic relationship is such that a doctor or a therapist cannot simply manage them by “common sense”, or follow his own propensity for dialogue: he must know them well and he needs a training on their own management with the same precision that is needed for the specific psychological model training.

Contrary to widespread belief we think that education on non-specific factors has to be desirable and that the ability to manage them can be implemented both by a deeper understanding as well as by dedicated training tools.

Disclosure of interest

The author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.