Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:11:54.725Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 6 - The Goals of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

from Part 2: - The Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy into Practice

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2023

Adam Polnay ,
Rhiannon Pugh ,
Victoria Barker ,
David Bell ,
Allan Beveridge ,
Adam Burley ,
Allyson Lumsden ,
C. Susan Mizen  and
Lauren Wilson
Foreword by
Nancy McWilliams
Adam Polnay
Affiliation:
The State Hospital, Carstairs and Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Victoria Barker
Affiliation:
East London NHS Foundation Trust, London
David Bell
Affiliation:
British Psychoanalytic Society
Allan Beveridge
Affiliation:
Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
Adam Burley
Affiliation:
Rivers Centre, Edinburgh
Allyson Lumsden
Affiliation:
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
C. Susan Mizen
Affiliation:
Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter
Lauren Wilson
Affiliation:
Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Get access

Summary

This chapter commences with a brief description of the complexities conceptualising goals in psychodynamic psychotherapy as they differ across different schools. In addition, some goals are inferred rather than being explicit. Nonetheless, the author goes on to delineate goals which are relevant to early, middle, and end stages of a course of psychodynamic therapy. These include promotion of a positive alliance, a description of ‘common factors’ in therapy, and also some relevant technical goals. Final stage goals consist of management of the ending and enabling the ability to mourn the lost good object of the therapist. An alternative framework to conceptualising goals is presented in terms of symptom relief, life adjustment, personality change, and use of relevant procedures as being necessary. Clinical vignettes are used to illustrate these concepts. Finally, there is a brief section on current contributions from neuroscience specifically related to psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Keywords

psychodynamic goalscommon factorstherapeutic alliancestructural personality changesymptom relief
Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Guide to Psychodynamic Psychotherapy , pp. 89 - 97
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Freud, S, Breuer, J, Bowlby, R et al. Studies in Hysteria. UK ed. Penguin Classics; 2004.Google Scholar
Westenberger‐Breuer, H. The goals of psychoanalytic treatment: conceptual considerations and follow‐up interview evaluation with a former analysand. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 2007;88(2):475–88.Google Scholar
Bion, W. Notes on memory and desire. Psychoanalytic Forum 1967;2:271–86.Google Scholar
Leiper, R, Maltby, M. The Psychodynamic Approach to Therapeutic Change. London: SAGE; 2004.Google Scholar
Laska, KM, Gurman, AS, Wampold, BE. Expanding the lens of evidence-based practice in psychotherapy: a common factors perspective. Psychotherapy (Chic) 2014;51(4):467–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenson, RR. The working alliance and the transference neurosis. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly 1965;34(2):155–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, DJ, Garske, JP, Davis, MK. Relation of the therapeutic alliance with outcome and other variables: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000;68(3):438–50.Google Scholar
Horvath, AO, Symonds, BD. Relation between working alliance and outcome in psychotherapy: a meta-analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology 1991;38(2):139–49.Google Scholar
Freud, S. Analysis terminable and interminable. Int J Psycho-Anal 1937;18:373–405.Google Scholar
Gabbard, GO, Westen, D. Rethinking therapeutic action. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 2003;84(4):823–41.Google Scholar
Gabbard, GO. Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy: a basic text. In Long-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.; 2010.Google Scholar
Main, TF. The Ailment. British Journal of Medical Psychology 1957;30(3):129–45.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×