Neurotic-Symbiotic Counseling Relationships

Two individuals can be so closely involved with one another in a counseling relationship that they become mutually interdependent and yet neither experiences growth. This paper discusses several kinds of these neurotic-symbiotic counseling relationships and examines some possible reasons for the continuation of counseling in the absence of therapeutic change. Some general characteristics of neurotic-symbiotic relationships are discussed, and a comparison is drawn between these growth-preventing relationships and those that are productive of growth.