There is a growing body of research pertaining to the empirical basis of psychodynamic psychotherapy, with contributions from various angles. These include clinical trials, studies of live therapy sessions (process research), transference and countertransference research. Our aim here is to give a readable and clinically relevant brief description of the empirical basis of psychodynamic psychotherapy, making links to other parts of this book where topics are described clinically.

This chapter describes specific techniques employed in modern day psychodynamic psychotherapy. It commences with a brief outline of the core psychodynamic attitude consisting of relative restraint, ‘anonymity’, and ‘neutrality’ along with helpful tips for the psychotherapist at the start of their career. It then goes on to a section on the importance of unconscious communication which includes a brief instruction on dream interpretation. This is followed by a detailed description on the use of transference and countertransference to elicit relevant object relations; this section includes how to manage ruptures in therapy. There is a description of the spectrum of interventions and techniques used in psychodynamic psychotherapy ranging from the more supportive end of the spectrum through to the more expressive. The chapter concludes with the process of working through and managing resistance. Throughout there are suggestions for how to couch interventions when working with a patient and also clinical vignettes to illustrate key techniques.