Use of Containment in Supervising Couples Therapy

Abstract

An important source of dissonance in couples' conflicts isthe projection of uncomfortablefeelings, resulting from earlydevelopmental deficits, into the partner WMen the partner isunable to contain the projected feelings (i.e. to tolerate, tounderstand, and to transmute them), greater conflictensues, often leading the couple to psychotherapy. In couplestherapy, the therapist is often called to contain the couple'sfeelings. When the therapist is unable to do so because ofcountertransference feelings, the projected feelings are oftenunconsciously introduced through a parallel process intosupervision. When supervisors are able to contain the projections they (a) model containment ofprojectedfeelings and(b) help supervisees understand the meaning of the couple'sprojected feelings.