Patients as Therapists
ERIC PFEIFFER M.D.1
1 Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N. C. 27706
When the gulf between doctor and patient is so great that either of them despairs of ever bridging it, the patient may respond more easily to an intermediate therapist—another patient. Spontaneous interactions between patients can foster therapeutic relationships for individuals whom professional staff members have been unable to reach. The author feels that such patient relationships can and should be stimulated under staff guidance.
