Abstract
Modern Kleinian Therapy views the working through of internal and interpersonal problems as a 3-stage model in which we help the patient notice and name something they previously could not see in themselves. Then, we help them claim and emotionally own the conflict they are now facing. The goal for the patient, with our help, is to begin to challenge, master, grieve, accept, and tame this now known element or aspect of self. Clinical reports are presented to show one way of interpreting or translating new meaning to the patient and to illustrate their reaction to it.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the Modern Kleinian Therapy model of therapeutic working through.
2. Discuss how containment and interpretation of core internal phantasy conflicts can promote movement from the paranoid-schizoid to the depressive position.
3. Evaluate their own interpretive techniques and integrate Modern Kleinian concepts into clinical practice.
Biography
Robert Waska, MFT, LPCC, PhD, is a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist with a private practice in Marin County, California, where he has worked with individuals and couples for over thirty years. A graduate of the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies in San Francisco and a former full analytic member of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis, Dr. Waska also teaches, consults, and presents internationally on Modern Kleinian psychoanalysis. Dr. Waska is the author of sixteen books and more than one hundred professional articles examining projective identification, loss, borderline and psychotic states, and the therapeutic use of transference and countertransference. In addition, he has contributed to multiple edited volumes, serves on the review committees of several journals and publishers, and provides consultation for clinicians seeking to deepen their understanding of Kleinian theory and technique.
References
Waska, R. (2022). Projective identification: A contemporary introduction. Routledge.
Waska, R. (2023). Growth and change: A modern Kleinian approach. The Therapist, 35(4), 10–14.
Waska, R. (2024). Interpreting with a modern Kleinian view: Clinical examples of talk therapy and what is said. International Forum of Psychoanalysis, 33(4), 232–240.
Waska, R. (2025). Growth in the midst of guilt, demand, and uncertainty: Interpretation in the clinical setting. Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01062301.2025.2482321
Waska, R. (2025). Surrounded by expectations and the loss within achievement. Canadian Journal of Psychoanalysis, 33(1), 129–141.
Waska, R. (in press). Name it, claim it, tame it: Modern Kleinian therapy and the
challenge of change. American Journal of Psychoanalysis.
