Psychotherapy in contexts: What relationship between Mental Health Services and their users’ demands? Report of a clinical intervention in a Mental Health Center

Abstract

This paper aims to explore methodological issues concerning the practice of psychotherapy and, in particular, what functions psychotherapy can play when provided in Mental Health Services. The author draws on the debate about the role of Mental Health Services in meeting users’ and community’s requests. In this perspective, it is described the clinical intervention offered to Maria, a woman who turned to a Mental Health Center. Maria was treated by a trainee specializing in psychoanalytic psychotherapy based on the Analysis of demand. Therefore, the intervention starts by focusing on the request expressed by Maria, highlightening elements in common with other users’ demand, in order to investigate social expectation about Mental Health Services.