Interpretive and Supportive Psychotherapies

This work presents a framework for making short-term psychodynamic therapy easier, quicker and more effective. Despite shared theoretical roots, short-term dynamic therapies differ widely in objectives and techniques. An approach may fall anywhere from "interpretive" to "supportive". Interpretive therapies emphasize insight into repetitive conflicts and traumas underlying a patient's problems. Patients are urged to talk, explore uncomfortable emotions, and focus on past figures. Supportive therapies emphasize improving the patient's immediate adaptation to his or her environment and are characterized by praise, guidance, structured problem-solving, and therapist disclosure. Both forms have a proven record of effectiveness, but neither is right for every patient. As an aid to optimal matching, the authors offer a framework for differentiating the many different forms of short-term psychodynamic therapy, based on where on the interpretive-supportive continuum certain key features lie. They show how two patient characteristics -quality of object relations and psychological mindedness - are relevant to success in each form of therapy.
The inclusion of treatment manuals and clinical illustrations highlight the practical relevance of the guide.