Within the "integrated model of contracts" in psychotherapy for couples, Malagoli Togliatti, Angrisani and Barone describe a particular therapeutic phase: that of "functional separation in presence" or, in some cases, that of "structural separation". It is a definite moment, in which the therapist creates an emotional and relational context that allows the development of individual stories inside the frame of the couple. In this paper we further analyse the implications of this step, through the illustration of a clinical case in which an alternative form of structural separation and individual work was introduced in the therapy with the couple.
Keywords: Couple, setting, functional separation and structural separation