Object constancy?

How would you describe object constancy? And the role it plays within therapy?

Ah, the "secure base".

Good therapy is supposed to foster an attachment style that makes the patient feel safe enough to explore new behaviors/try new things but allowing the patient to seek reassurance/care from the T when things go wrong/get scary. When soothed, one can be adventuresome again. Sorry Dr. Bowlby or Winnicot, that's my best.

I occasionally struggle with object constancy at times in my relationships/family . Or maybe it is something else. I am a worrier and often thinks something happened to people if I don't hear from them. I am sure they got hit by a car or
Had a heart attack if I don't see or hear from them. But it doesn't pertain to therapy in
My case. Sure my worrying is being discussed. But I think I you mean object constancy in regards to therapist? I don't think of my therapist between sessions. I sometimes think of what I need to address in a next session but not about her as person

Well I know she didn't disappear if I am not seeing her lol but she isn't on my mind

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That the (m)other still exists even when we can't see them.
I still struggle with this, because my very first world experience was that my mother had gone.
That 'memory' albeit unconscious. Overshadows my experience of people.

Object constancy reminds me of "peek-a-boo" played with a baby. They cover their eyes and can't see you so don't think you can see them. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Knowing I had a difficulty with object constancy (my T even obligingly said so one session :-) helped me as it is just a symptom and I can accept symptoms, know I don't have to "do" anything about them, can just let them be and help me while I work on the actual difficulty.

The first session my T (who I had seen many years before) left me a note on the front door of the townhouse office, telling me to come upstairs. I "secretly" kept the note in my wallet as she'd signed it and it was addressed to me, etc. and a couple years later, I brought it out and gave it to her and used the whole experience of having had it in my wallet and then giving it to her in session and discussing it, to mark how far I had come. Another good mark was the first time I called her on my cell phone to tell her I'd be late because of traffic/an accident (instead of just being 5-10 minutes late). We discussed that and how, before, she'd had to "worry"/wonder if I would show or what, even though I never would not show (therapists use to call me if I was late/didn't show, knowing there was something horribly wrong). I had thought of her for the first time, how she may have wanted to know, not just how it would relieve my own anxiety about being late?