Youssif is a psychotherapist who believes strongly that people attempt to resolve their early relationship struggles using their current relationships. Many of the people he helps in his practice were raised by at least one alcoholic parent. Interestingly, many of those individuals currently find themselves married to an alcoholic and are struggling once again. Based on this explanation, what type of therapist is Youssif?

Object relations therapy has its roots in Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, and people's need to form relationships with other people. Object relations therapist wants to help his patient explore early mental images that influenced present relationships with other people, and thus resolve any problems/difficulties in those relationships. In doing so, the therapist focuses on one particular person that significantly affected his patient's life. Object relations theorists believe that, in early childhood, infants form representations of themselves in relation to others, and that those representations have a large effect on their relationships in adulthood.