Private selves and shared meanings: Or forgive us our projections as we forgive those who project into us

Abstract

This paper explores the difficulty university counselling services experience in finding common purpose with their institutions at the present time. It draws on a review of the relevant literature and personal experience to argue that it is extremely difficult to sustain depressive-position functioning in the current organizational culture, which, the author suggests, is dominated by fears about survival. The paper examines some defensive strategies counsellors may use to protect themselves against prevailing anxieties and argues for the importance of recognizing and working with these.