psychodynamic therapy

(noun)

A form of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension.

Related Terms

  • countertransference
  • transference
  • libido
  • free association
  • defense mechanism

Examples of psychodynamic therapy in the following topics:

  • Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapy

    • Compared to other forms of therapy, psychodynamic therapy emphasizes the relationship between client and therapist as an agent of change.
    • All psychodynamic therapies have a core set of characteristics:
    • There are several forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy, such as interpersonal therapy (IPT) and person-centered therapy.
    • Psychodynamic therapy, in contrast, is still commonly used today.
    • Person-centered therapy (PCT) is a type of psychodynamic therapy in which the client guides each session and the therapist provides unconditional positive regard.
  • Introduction to Psychotherapy

    • These were all later categorized as psychodynamic, meaning any approach that focused on the psyche's conscious and unconscious influences on the self and external relationships.
    • Although its roots are in psychoanalysis, psychodynamic therapy tends to be briefer and less intensive than traditional psychoanalysis.
    • CBT combines cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy to address maladaptive cognitions as well as dysfunctional behaviors.
    • In this type of therapy, one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group.
    • Anxious and depressed patients in two short-term therapies (solution-focused and brief psychodynamic) improved faster, but after five years, long-term psychotherapy and psychoanalysis gave greater benefits.
  • Cognitive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

    • Cognitive therapy (CT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are closely related; however CBT is an umbrella category of therapies that includes cognitive therapy.
    • The category refers to behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and therapies based on a combination of basic behavioral and cognitive principles and research, including dialectical behavior therapy.
    • At its most basic level, it is a combination of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy.
    • Some meta-analyses find CBT more effective than psychodynamic therapy and equal to other therapies in treating anxiety and depression.
    • However, psychodynamic therapy may provide better long-term outcomes.
  • Psychodynamic Psychology

    • Psychodynamic theory studies the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions.
    • Psychodynamic theory is an approach to psychology that studies the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions, and how they may relate to early childhood experience.
    • By the mid-1940s and into the 1950s, the general application of the "psychodynamic theory" had been well established.
    • At present, psychodynamics is an evolving multidisciplinary field that analyzes and studies human thought processes, response patterns, and influences.
    • Psychodynamic therapy, in which patients become increasingly aware of dynamic conflicts and tensions that are manifesting as a symptom or challenge in their lives, is an approach to therapy that is still commonly used today.
  • Research Methods for Evaluating Treatment Efficacy

    • The techniques of the therapist include the ways in which the therapist approaches the therapy sessions.
    • Ideally, therapies should use mixed methods to provide both quantitative and qualitative data.
    • Each type of data provides different forms of information, together providing a fuller evaluation of the therapy.
    • Another meta-analysis found that psychodynamic therapy was also as effective at treating these types of psychological issues as CBT (Shedler, 2010).
    • Describe the research methods and criteria that are used to determine the effectiveness of therapy
  • Body-Oriented Psychotherapies

    • In addition to the more common forms of psychotherapy (including humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic approaches), there are several alternative, body-oriented therapies that serve specific purposes.
    • A wide variety of techniques are used in body-oriented therapies, including sound, touch, mirroring, movement, and breath.
    • Light therapy is used to treat certain sleep disorders and can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder.
    • As with many alternative therapies, body-oriented therapy is criticized for its lack of scientific validation and empirical evidence.
    • In addition, the importance of ethical issues in body-oriented therapy has been highlighted on account of the intimacy of the techniques used in several kinds of therapies.
  • Group Therapy

    • While group therapy is sometimes used alone, it is more often used as part of a greater treatment plan that may include one-on-one therapy and/or medication.
    • However, in the psychodynamic sense, it specifically indicates a situation where the group context and group process is explicitly utilized as a mechanism of change by developing, exploring, and examining interpersonal relationships within the group.
    • These principles summarize the benefits of group therapy:
    • These patients may require additional support beyond group therapy.
    • This theory is borne out by the impressive results obtained using mentalization-based treatment, a model that combines group therapy with individual therapy and case management.
  • Psychodynamic Perspective

  • Evaluating the Psychodynamic Approach to Personality

  • Evaluating the Psychodynamic Approach to Personality

    • The psychodynamic approach to the study of personality has many historical advantages but also many recently-discovered limitations.
    • Psychodynamic theory approaches human personality by focusing on psychological forces that underlie human behavior, feeling, and emotion.
    • The theory of psychodynamics is often used to refer specifically to the psychoanalytic theory proposed by Sigmund Freud and his followers.
    • The psychodynamic model states that psychological disorders stemmed from maladaptive defenses against unconscious, internal conflicts.
    • Based on patients' feedback, including stories from their childhood and interpretation of their dreams, Freud developed his psychodynamic theory of psychology and his psychoanalytic theory of personality.
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