Claire Rabin innovatively applies the Winnicottian theory of the 'good enough mother' to couple therapy, redirecting attention to the therapeutic relationship and the therapist's self-awareness regardless of the methods used. Using this lens, even the therapist's mistakes become an opportunity for repairing both the therapeutic relationship and the partners' own personal maturity.

The intensity and pressure of couple therapy can make each case a test of the therapist's competence. The need for neutrality constitutes on-going pressure on the therapist and the proliferation of...