> it's very eclectic if this person considers herself to be an analyst.

relational systems theory. i think that there are about as many theories as their are theorists. some theories are fairly broad in scope (they have something to say about a variety of topics) and others are more limited in scope. i guess relational systems theory can be plugged into other (broader) theories. i guess it is a fairly natural mesh with Self Psychology. the humanist theorists were most often trained as analysts (i think). they just developed their own theory and (because of politics) were ostracised from the analytic community (which was very loyal to freud). i guess that these days the majority of theorists are fairly eclectic. i think that eclecticism comes in varying degrees of theoretical sophistication. sometimes the eclecticism amounts to using whatever strategies seem to work (which isn't to be sneezed at). somtimes the eclecticism amounts to attempting to integrate various aspects of different theories into ones own point of view. but yeah, it does seem to sit well with humanistic theories too.

> It's kind of interesting to me that anyone would think therapy would follow a linear course.

freud thought that analysis progressed in a linear fashion (and if it didn't progress in such a way then either the analyst was doing something wrong or the analysand wasn't suitable for analysis after all). i think that ego psychologists (which is a kind of more modern take on freud) also think that therapy progresses in a linear fashion. transference emerges then becomes a transference neurosis. apparently there have been papers written on what to do if the transference neurosis doesn't develop. it was thought (is thought?) to be necessary for a successful course of analysis that there is a successful working through of the transference neurosis. hence, if transference neurosis doesn't develop there cannot be a successful working through. then i think the notion was to reveal your secrets (memories / fantasies) and eventually the process would bottom out on resolution of the oedipus complex.