Frame (psychotherapy)

The frame or therapeutic frame or analytic frame in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis are the various environmental factors which make therapy possible, yet are not internal to therapy or to the therapeutic process itself. According to psychoanalytic theory, there are many such factors, such as setting and agreeing to the fee for treatment, agreeing on a definite schedule when to meet, principles associated with anonymity and privacy on the part of the therapist, and other factors. While these factors are not inherently internal to the therapeutic process they (1) set conditions that make sound therapy possible and (2) because of their importance for therapy, often become areas of conflict and exploration within therapy. Consequently, setting a secured frame may be a necessary condition for sound psychoanalytic psychotherapy because it enables therapy patients to be open about their life with the therapist and to feel emotionally secure enough to speak about their deepest emotional conflicts. In some currents of psychoanalysis, the frame is one of the most important elements in psychotherapy and counseling.