Someone was asking me the other day how long therapy should last. At the time I said it should last as long as it is working. And then I went on as i usually do to say a lot more about that. Because no one can determine how long therapy goes on except a given patient and therapist working together to decide. Certainly managed care companies can't really know, though they can set arbitrary limits.
Yesterday I was poking around in some old links -- that's the kind of thing I do when I have some bigger idea or issue simmering away on my mental back burner -- and ran across a site by Jean Hantman, who I used to enjoy reading when there was an active listserv for psychoanalytic studies. Now she is on the psychoanalysis side of depth psychology, which means we have somewhat different notions about some things, but I always find her interesting reading and her ideas to be at least provocative. Here;s what she says about what is enough therapy:
You aren't finished therapy:
--if your love life isn't harmonious (if you want a love life).
--if you don't enjoy your work.
--if your children aren't doing well (if you have or want children).
--if something (besides genuine propriety) holds you back from saying whatever is on your mind.
At some point after children grow up and move off into lives of their own, I think more therapy for the parent might not help the kids, but otherwise I think she and I are pretty much on the same page here.
Take a look at some of the other things she says. I think you'll find her interesting even when you don't agree with her.
