Abstract

This article is divided into three parts. In the first part, we are reminded of the basic systems of the setting in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and group analysis and of the psychodynamic understanding of the said systems for the development of the psychotherapeutic process. The second part presents the important elements of the setting, as well as the responsibility of the psychotherapist and the patient, the problem of the setting in an institution, how the psychotherapist crosses the boundaries of the setting, and the most common cases of nonadherence to the setting. The third part discusses a new change of the setting caused by the coronavirus outbreak. In the conclusion, it is discussed that a psychotherapist is more active and exposed in a virtual, online setting as it takes more energy to sustain the boundaries of the setting. In the individual approach, some patients cannot accept virtual psychotherapy at all, some have a problem with privacy as they feel they are disturbed by their family members while others accept virtual psychotherapy due to their suffering or, if they have already experienced the process, trust their psychotherapist and continue working on themselves. In group analysis, the group that is in the phase of becoming more intimate has an easier transition to a virtual setting. It is vital to hold virtual meetings in order to keep track of psychotherapists’ observations, summarise their experience, and suggest ideas for long-term virtual therapy considering the fact that nobody was prepared for the new setting.