Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

This book evolved from the First International Meeting of the Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy Association on intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy. It will help readers to make use of the conscious working alliance with the patient to increase the unconscious part of the working alliance.

Argues that with suitable selection criteria and specified therapeutic techniques, short-term dynamic psychotherapy is both feasible and valuable. Contributors address the question of suitablity. In commenting on each others selection criteria, they reveal differences amongst themselves.

Brevity: rigidity and length of time frame - Treatment focus: the patient in the outside World - Therapist activity: focusing on (or away from) the unconscious - Patient selection: in sickness and in health - Brevity revisited: when less means more.

This hands-on manual from Leigh McCullough and associates teaches the nuts and bolts of practicing short-term dynamic psychotherapy, the research-supported model first presented in Changing Character, McCullough's foundational text. Reflecting the ongoing evolution of the approach, the manual emphasizes "affect phobia," or conflict about feelings. It shows how such proven behavioral techniques as systemic desensitization can be applied effectively within a psychodynamic framework, and offers clear guidelines for when and how to intervene. Demonstrated are procedures for assessing patients, formulating core conflicts, and restructuring defenses, affects, and relationship to the self and others. In an easy-to-use, large-size format, the book features a wealth of case examples and write-in exercises for building key clinical skills. The companion website (www.affectphobiatherapy.com) offers useful supplemental resources, including Psychotherapy Assessment Checklist (PAC) forms and instructions.

This comprehensive reference to Dr. Habib Davanloo's Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) defines all of the important terms in ISTDP, providing an in-depth discussion of almost every aspect of the therapy, including clinical examples. Whether you are just starting out with ISTDP or delving into it more deeply, this book will prove to be an invaluable resource. Jon Frederickson, author of "Co-Creating Change: Effective Dynamic Therapy Techniques" and founder of the ISTDP Institute, calls it "an essential book for any therapist learning how to do ISTDP." Robert Neborsky, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCSD and UCLA Schools of Medicine, writes, "Teachers of ISTDP are going to be well served in using this text as a required reference, and ongoing students-at any stage in their career-will be able to refresh and expand their breadth of knowledge and improve their clinical technique by reading this text. Thank you, Nat, for this invaluable resource!" Stanley Messer, PhD, Dean and Distinguished Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University, says, "In crystal-clear prose, Nat Kuhn presents exceptionally useful definitions and explanations of terms in Davanloo's Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy. Illustrated with very helpful clinical vignettes, it belongs in the hands of every novice and experienced ISTDP practitioner." And Thomas Brod, MD, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, hails it as "A masterwork!"

Short-term dynamic interpersonal psychotherapy is an integrated, trauma-informed, contemporary, dynamic way of working with a range of mental health difficulties. Flexible though structured, phase-oriented, focused and time-limited, it is informed by the Conversational Model, Attachment and Interpersonal Theories and Brief Psychodynamic Psychotherapies, which are briefly described. It provides clinicians with a way of working with patients whose difficulties do not warrant long term therapy, who prefer a talking therapy or who have failed cognitive/behaviour therapies. With the help of examples, it guides the process of assessment and therapy with trauma in mind: using Conversational Model techniques where empathy replaces confrontation; resistance is seen as a fear of re-traumatization; defence mechanisms are regarded as adaptive coping mechanisms which later become maladaptive; transference interventions replace interpretations, and self-reflective capacity is encouraged rather than just insight. Separation anxiety is addressed and anxiety-provoking techniques are avoided, given that anxiety is a large part of most presentations.

The creators of the approaches to short-term dynamic psychotherapy, including Mardi Horowitz, Lester Luborsky, Hans Strupp, and Peter Sifneos, present in their own words, the theoretical underpinnings and clinical models for their therapeutic strategies.

This new, meticulously updated edition offers the latest research on the foundations, techniques, and efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy, while still providing the basic information on assessment, indications, formulations, therapist interventions, goals of therapy, and mechanisms of therapeutic action that all mental health professionals require in order to provide excellent care.