Concise Guide to Brief Dynamic and Interpersonal Therapy

In today's world of managed care-characterized by limited
mental health resources, emphasis on accountability, concerns of third-party
payers, and consumer need-the demand for mental health professionals to use
briefer therapeutic approaches is on the rise. Fully 84% of all clinicians
are doing some form of planned brief therapy (6-20 sessions per year per
patient).

Yet despite clinical advances and outcome data that
demonstrate the effectiveness of short-term therapy, many therapists-in
fact, 90% of those whose theoretical orientation is psychodynamic rather
than cognitive-behavioral-are reluctant to learn briefer interventions,
seeing value only in long-term, depth-oriented work. The second edition of
this Concise Guide is intended to help educate both beginning and
experienced clinicians in the strategies and techniques of time-attentive
models and to foster more positive and optimistic attitudes toward using
these important therapies.


* The seven therapeutic models presented here-including an entirely new
chapter on time-limited group therapy-highlight the importance of the
interpersonal perspective.

* The seven models, one per chapter,
represent well-established short-term approaches to clinical issues that
therapists commonly encounter in their clinical practices. These models also
have clearly defined intervention techniques and formulation strategies and
can be used within the 10- to 20-session time frame of most managed care
settings.

* The first part of each chapter dealing with a therapeutic
model lists the various presenting problems the authors deem most suitable
for treatment by that particular approach. The authors discuss the overall
framework of each model, selection criteria, goals, therapeutic tasks and
strategies, empirical support, and relevance for managed care, with clinical
cases to illustrate the application of each model.

The authors
include updated chapters on supportive, time-limited, and interpersonal
therapies; time-limited dynamic psychotherapy; short-term dynamic therapy
for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder; brief dynamic therapy for
patients with substance abuse disorders; an entirely new chapter on
time-limited group therapy; and a final chapter on the reciprocal
relationship between pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

Meant to
complement the more detailed information found in lengthier psychiatric
texts, this Concise Guide (it is designed to fit into a jacket or lab coat
pocket) is a practical and convenient reference for psychiatrists,
psychiatric residents, and medical students working in a variety of
treatment settings, such as inpatient psychiatry units, outpatient clinics,
consultation-liaison services, and private offices.