The analytical encounter conducted remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article, the result of a master’s research in psychology, reflects on remote clinical sessions, focusing on the understanding of the analytic setting at a distance and the therapist’s handling of interferences caused by elements present in the context of social distancing. The analysis is based on interviews with psychologists who graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology used was clinical-qualitative, and data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, followed by content analysis. The discussion integrates contributions from both classical and contemporary psychoanalytic authors, who provide insights into the necessary foundations for the occurrence of an analytic encounter. The text highlights the specificities and challenges of remote clinical practice, emphasizing the particularities of the distance setting and proposing some strategies to adjust listening in response to different situations. In conclusion, the research confirms the feasibility of remote clinical sessions and highlights the need for an updated systematization of the theory of technique regarding this specific practice. Although the participants reported that conducting remote sessions felt intuitive, this article emphasizes that the analytical encounter at a distance requires attention to certain specificities to ensure the ethical conduction of psychotherapeutic and psychoanalytic processes.