Mechanisms of contact interruption in couple psychotherapy: the therapist’s experience as a phenomenological field

Abstract

This contribution explores couple psychotherapy from a Gestalt perspective, focusing on the therapist’s active role as the third element within the relational field. The therapist, as a participant in the intersubjective process, contributes in an embodied and conscious manner to the co-construction of therapeutic contact, supporting each partner and the couple as a dynamic entity. Contact-interruption mechanisms— such as introjection, projection, retroflection, and confluence—are understood as defensive processes that hinder the emergence of needs, differentiation, and relational authenticity.

Within the therapeutic setting, the therapist observes where and how the experience of relational contact is interrupted, guiding partners toward greater affective, bodily, and symbolic awareness. Experiential techniques such as the use of chairs, need verbalization, and guided imagery facilitate the transformation of relational impasses into developmental processes. Within this framework, a questionnaire for couple psychotherapists (Q-PCOC) has been developed to investigate clinical practices, operational challenges, techniques employed, and the therapist’s subjective experience in conducting couple therapy. The instrument, structured into four sections (introduction and objectives; therapist profile; methodological and therapeutic setting aspects; therapeutic relationship and couple dynamics), is part of an action-research project aimed at fostering clinical reflection on the effectiveness of integrated approaches and on the therapist’s transformative role within the couple’s field.

We are currently reviewing other tools in the literature to compare our questionnaire with existing ones and deepen our understanding of the therapist’s experience and strategies in working with couples.