About a Girl: A Trialogue

The presented set of works, written by three, or more precisely, four authors, was created on the basis of professional and personal connections between them. It is a historically proven practice to think about one’s work and the phenomena that accompany and affect it (one’s own education, training, and experience, combined with external circumstances) in terms of supervision or presented case studies. As for a case study for a journal publication, it is entirely common, after meeting all the entry criteria (which also include ethical issues), to undergo a peer review process. Years ago, as editors of the Psychoterapie journal, we were struck by the fact that a review assessment is often a distinctive work in itself, reflective not only of the assessed text, the described activity and therefore also the author / therapist, but also of the reviewer himself. These assessments, which are then sent back to the authors of the submitted texts (both sides of the process are anonymous to each other), have not only their factual and professional aspects, but also human, emotional dimensions, ranging between acceptance and non-acceptance, from recognition and appreciation to criticism and injury, and thus become not only a professional phenomenon, but also a relational one, which is hidden from the readers’ eyes. This is why we decided to compose a unique form, a combination of mutual emotional and thought openness, while revealing our own identity to each other, to the girl in therapy (with her permission, of course) and to our readers. It is our hope that in this way we can find something useful and enriching. The author of the first text is the girl’s therapist, trained in family therapy and human-centred play therapy. Her text is an candid and deeply involved emotional statement and reflection on what she immediately experiences in a therapeutic relationship, how she engages in it and what she struggles with as a therapist / woman / mother. The second contribution is a reflection on the first text from a psychoanalyst’s and supervisor’s point of  view. Focusing on the therapist’s statement as an immediate source of information about what is happening in therapy, the author seeks to get in touch with the other through the connection between experience and its (theoretical) grasp. The author of the third text is an academic researcher with therapeutic expertise as well as a writer whose metaposition allows him, but again and of course through himself, to analyse the presented texts, contemplate them and find in them not quite obvious features and endeavour of all involved. However, the principal and genuine author is the girl herself, her life and, of course, her relationship with her therapist. We, as invited and temporary readers of her life text, as direct or indirect participants trust and patience. She knew about our work, gave her consent and waited for the  “completed” form for more than a year. Although two of the three of us do not know her personally, once again we would like to express our deep appreciation and thanks, wishing her all the best.