Dying with friends: implications for the psychotherapist

The processes that augment the continued development of psychotherapeutic competence are little understood. One readily available source of learning is the life experiences of the therapist, particularly those situations which invoke intense affects and may increase empathic capacity. Some life experiences, however, lead to defenses against affect. In particular, situations in which the therapist feels helpless and those which confront the therapist with his or her own death may precipitate intense defenses. Several periods of such defensiveness resulting from discussions with four dying friends are explored and their implications for psychotherapeutic competence are analyzed.