State of the psychoanalytic nation: Switzerland

Abstract

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy holds a prominent place in the Swiss health care system. In addition to the rich history of psychoanalysis in Switzerland, the dual qualification in psychiatry and psychotherapy for medical specialists and the recent federal recognition of the title of psychologist-psychotherapist support the continuation of rigorous psychotherapy training in mental health institutions with the patients suffering the most. In Switzerland, there is a lively discussion on the treatment modalities in different forms of talking psychotherapy, in a perspective of integration with other dimensions of psychiatric care. New models of care have emerged, inspired by psychoanalytical psychotherapy, bringing hope to the discipline because they are adapted to the difficulties of our patients and to the demands of the contemporary world. In parallel, exacting training in classical psychoanalytical models continues to be practiced and fostered.