The Marriage—A Basic Unit for Psychotherapy
EDWARD H. OLSEN M.D.1
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Marquette School of Medicine, Veterans Administration Center, Wood, Wisconsin 53193
The marriage is a basic system in which most adults attempt to satisfy their needs for unification and autonomy. The author believes that the psychotherapist can be more effective working with an existing system than establishing a competing dyadic relationship with one of the spouses. He can help each individual differentiate and also facilitate the couple's capacity for a productive, satisfying intimacy.
