Facilitating the emergence of interpersonal relatedness in individual psychotherapy of schizophrenia: A case study

Persons with schizophrenia possess enduring deficits that limit their capacity for interpersonal relatedness. Yet meaningful bonds form and are sustained during the process of psychotherapy. To better understand this phenomenon we analyzed the threats to relatedness and therapist actions in one case of long-term integrative psychotherapy. In these analyses we found relatedness was facilitated by the therapist's attitude of sympathy followed by their assistance filtering, recalling and considering in a flexibly abstract manner relevant material.