LESSONS LEARNED FROM THERAPEUTIC FAILURE

An analysis of six cases of therapeutic failure found several common t hreads. These included the failure to form therapeutic alliance, the a bsence of a symptom being functionally autonomous and free of secondar y gain, the difficulty in either accessing or titrating the anger in t he client, the appearance of countertransference-based thoughts and fe elings (both positive and negative) that adversely influenced therapis t behavior, the danger in applying therapies new and exciting to the t herapist, and the absence of an integrative strategy. The lessons to b e learned from these therapies can be essential ingredients in underst anding the nature of successful therapeutic undertakings.