Good Enough Endings

<p>In the relational literature, the subject of termination - the ending of an analysis - has received scant attention, and traditional Freudian or ego-psychological criteria are not always enough to assess the readiness to terminate therapy in the coconstructed, intersubjective analytic relationship. <em>Good Enough Endings </em>seeks to remedy this gap, bringing together contributions from contemporary relational thinkers, while at the same time engaging with ideas from other psychoanalytic perspectives. Topics given consideration include:</p><ul> <li>Can there be a relational criteria or paradigm for termination, and what would it include?</li> <li>How do treatment goals of the analyst and/or that of the patient affect the decision to terminate?</li> <li>How do recent developments in attachment theory and research influence the preparation to end analysis?</li> <li>What occurs for the patient after termination, and how do we assess the need for follow-up?</li> </ul><p>Integrating elements of existing psychoanalytic theory with the fruits of the relational turn, <em>Good Enough Endings </em>expands and expounds upon the relational considerations in ending analysis, providing a resource for reflection and insight into the final - and perhaps most difficult - aspect of psychoanalytic treatment. </p> <p><em>Salberg</em>, Introduction. <strong>Part I: Termination: Theories and Positions.</strong><em>Salberg</em>, Historical Overview. <em>Bergmann</em>, Termination: The Achilles Heel of Psychoanalytic Technique. <em>Britton</em>, There is No End of the Line: Terminating the Interminable. <em>Bernstein</em>, Beyond the Bedrock. <em>Holmes</em>, Termination in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: An Attachment Perspective. <em>Davies</em>, Transformation of Desire and Despair: Reflections on the Termination Process from a Relational Perspective. <strong>Part II: On the Clinical Frontier.</strong><em>Salberg</em>, How We End: Taking Leave. <em>Grand</em>, Termination as Necessary Madness. <em>Cooper</em>, The Changing Firmament: Familiar and Unfamiliar Forms of Engagement During Termination. <em>Silverman</em>, Will You Remember Me? Termination and Continuity. <em>Layton</em>, Maternal Resistance. <strong>Part III: Musings on the Multiple Meanings of Ending.</strong><em>Reis</em>, Afterwardness and Termination. <em>Skolnick</em>, Termination in Psychoanalysis: It's About Time. <em>Goldman</em>, Parting Ways. <em>Glennon</em>, Relational Analyses: Are They More Difficult to Terminate? <em>Bass</em>, "It Ain't Over Till It's Over": Infinite Conversations, Imperfect Endings, and the Elusive Nature of Termination.</p>