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Within the setting of a psychoanalytic training institute, the early ending of a control case may have important educational ramifications, including fewer opportunities to deepen the analytic process and a slower progression through training. A better understanding of the factors that contribute to early termination might be useful both in case selection for psychoanalysis and in maintaining the treatment once begun, thus enhancing candidates' educational experience.
The present sample included all control cases who initiated treatment with a candidate analyst at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research from 1995 to 2000. Patients entered analysis either by applying to the center's clinic specifically for psychoanalysis, or by conversion from the private psychotherapy practices of candidates. Data were obtained by a review of the charts kept at the center. All patients signed a consent form for treatment and research. For the purposes of this study, the cases designated as “premature terminations” were ones in which the candidate analyst made a chart note indicating an abrupt or early termination.
Over a six-year span, 163 patients were accepted to begin psycho-analysis as control cases at the center. Almost one-third of the patients