When We Were Comrades Together: A Note on the Language of Assessment

From a psychoanalytic perspective, the assessor is seen as more than a gatherer of data; he or she is viewed as a source of information independent of the tests as well as a potential vehicle of change. To effect these functions, the assessor needs to pay close attention to the language he or she uses in interaction with the patient. In this article, I present a case and then discuss it in terms of the role of language in the assessor-patient relationship: specifically, how the language used facilitated the establishing of a working alliance, the promoting of a meaningful dialogue, and eventually led to a deeper understanding of the patient.