The Role of the Frame in Psychotherapy: Safety, Stability, and Psychic Organization

In psychotherapy, particularly in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches, there is a fundamental concept called the “frame.” This concept encompasses the elements that define the structure of the therapeutic process, such as the day and time of sessions, their duration, the therapist’s role, the boundaries of the therapist-client relationship, and the physical arrangement of the room. From an outsider’s perspective, the frame may appear to exist merely to set certain rules and boundaries. While this is partially true, the frame serves a far more fundamental function in psychotherapy: it provides a solid and reliable foundation on which the therapeutic relationship can begin, develop, and allow the client to open up safely. The two most essential elements that make this possible are the stability and predictability offered by the frame. Regardless of the client’s age, the solidity of the frame in psychotherapy is one of the key conditions that allow the client to safely bring the chaos and intense emotions of their inner world into the therapy room. In this article, we will take a closer look at the function of the frame.

The life of living beings proceeds through rhythmic repetitions that regulate bodily functions: heartbeat, respiration, sleep cycles… These rhythmic repetitions maintain the internal balance, or homeostasis, of the human organism. In biology, homeostasis is defined as the maintenance of the internal environment of an organism; for example, keeping values such as body temperature, blood sugar, and fluid-electrolyte balance within certain limits despite external changes (e.g., shifts in temperature, physical activity, or stress). In short, it can be understood as the process of maintaining the organism’s internal equilibrium. Freud’s principle of constancy can also be related to this. According to Freud, living beings strive to keep their levels of excitation within a certain balance and to protect themselves from excessive increases or decreases. In other words, humans attempt to establish and preserve an internal equilibrium, a “psychic economy,” in order to survive and sustain their functions.

A similar process occurs in psychotherapy. Throughout the process, especially through the established frame, an effort is made to create a rhythm and stability that support the client’s internal organization. The stability of the frame in psychotherapy provides a structure within which the client can safely carry the emotional fluctuations arising in their inner world. Like the biological principle mentioned above, it supports psychic balance. While chaos, uncertainty, or intense emotions are experienced internally, the continuity, stability, and rhythm of the therapy room and the therapist-client relationship serve a regulatory psychological function. This can be likened to looking at the horizon in a stormy sea: just as the eye finds balance by focusing on a fixed point, the stability of the frame offers the client a solid support to rely on while carrying the fluctuations in their psychic world. Experiencing this allows the client to internalize this external stability and rhythm, incorporate it into their own psychic mechanisms, and gradually develop self-regulatory functions. The frame of psychotherapy (a constant, reliable space that will not be disrupted) serves as a safe anchor for the client, like a horizon acting as a compass at sea or the sun we know will rise every morning.

In short, stability and predictability in therapy provide a secure and solid foundation in the client’s psychic world.

For this reason, therapists, especially in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy, pay particular attention to maintaining session schedules, duration, frequency, and other frame elements. The frame is not merely a set of technical rules; it is a living ground that can carry the client’s psychic presence, offering a stable and safe base upon which they can rely. This base helps the client preserve internal balance and organization while allowing the process to deepen, enabling them to explore and creatively transform their emotional experiences. In this way, the frame functions both as a safe harbor and as a fundamental structure that provides a space for growth in psychotherapy.