The Relationship between Theoretical Orientation and Countertransference Expectations: Implications for Ethical Dilemmas and Risk Management

The systemic-family-individual approach: The heritage and continuation of Mara Selvini Palazzoli's work in integrative psychotherapy

Since the birth of family therapy, the Milan approach has been known as a foundational systemic model. Nevertheless, following the dissolution of the Milan group, Mara Selvini, alongside Matteo Selvini, Stefano Cirillo, and Anna Maria Sorrentino, began a new trajectory of clinical development, insufficiently examined within the American panorama. After her death, in 1999, the Selvini group continued to adapt and refine her systemic approach which is known today as the systemic-family-individual (SFI) approach. In this article, we delve into the constituents that constitute the SFI approach, elucidating how it furnishes therapists with a structured framework to guide clinical decision-making and the application of integrated theoretical concepts. Ultimately, the article exemplifies the SFI approach's practical application via a clinical case study, showcasing its efficacious navigation.

Conceptual competence in psychiatric training: building a culture of conceptual inquiry

Building a culture of conceptual inquiry in psychiatric training requires the development of conceptual competence: the ability to identify and examine assumptions that constitute the philosophical foundations of clinical care and scientific investigation in psychiatry. In this article, we argue for the importance of such competence and illustrate approaches to instilling it through examples drawn from our collective experiences as psychiatric educators.

Whose anxiety are we treating, anyway?

OBJECTIVES

This paper explores the ways empirically supported treatments (ESTs) help patients, therapists, and institutional administrators contain anxiety regarding complex human problems.

METHOD

The authors synthesized relevant literature with their experience as clinicians and psychotherapy researchers.

RESULTS

ESTs may manage patient anxieties by framing their symptoms in clearly stated mechanisms and relying on a therapist who is an "expert" capable of healing them quickly. ESTs allow therapists to streamline treatment decisions and minimize intersubjective aspects of treatment which reduces the complexity of therapy. ESTs assist institutional administrators in the top-down dissemination of treatments and limit concerns about malpractice and insurance reimbursement by providing assurance that interventions have been vetted.

CONCLUSIONS

While recognizing the benefits of ESTs, relying on ESTs to manage anxieties may diminish the importance of patient factors and clinical judgment, the other critical aspects of evidence-based practice, and thus limit the potential of clinical practice to reduce human distress.

Manifestações Contratransferenciais no Processo Terapêutico de uma Paciente com Personalidade Borderline

Resumo Pacientes com transtorno de personalidade borderline (TPB) são tipicamente instáveis e intensos em seus afetos e comportamentos, facilmente despertando reações emocionais negativas em seus terapeutas. Desse modo, manejar a contratransferência é fundamental para a psicoterapia com esses pacientes. Este estudo de caso sistemático visa descrever as manifestações contratransferenciais no processo terapêutico do primeiro ano de uma terapia psicanalítica de uma paciente com TPB, ampliando o conhecimento empírico sobre como a contratransferência interage com as variáveis do paciente. As sessões (n = 59) foram codificadas por duplas de juízes independentes treinados com o Psychotherapy Process Q-Set (PQS), um q-sort de 100 itens que fornece descrição das variáveis do paciente, do terapeuta e da interação terapêutica que caracterizam o tratamento. Experts em psicoterapia psicanalítica selecionaram seis itens do PQS como indicadores de reações contratransferenciais e 12, como indicadores de estados mentais e comportamentos característicos de pacientes com TPB. Esses itens foram examinados em relação ao tempo. Os achados revelam a predominância de atitudes terapêuticas compatíveis com uma contratransferência positiva. As implicações clínicas dos achados são discutidas.

Psychodynamic Treatment of the Criminal Offender: Making the Case for Longer-Term Treatment in a Longer-Term Setting

In recent years, prisons and jails have become de facto psychiatric hospitals, responsible for the care and treatment of individuals with serious mental illness. Historically, cognitive-behaviorally informed therapeutic approaches have been the treatment of choice among mental health practitioners in correctional settings. However, inmate-clients often present with complex diagnostic issues that are arguably better served by long-term treatment options, such as psychodynamic psychotherapy. We first review the nature of psychotherapy in the correctional setting, as well as treatment barriers and challenges faced by both mental health providers and inmate-clients. We then review treatment studies that examine the efficacy of various therapeutic techniques in correctional/forensic contexts. Finally, we argue that, due to the complex nature of psychopathology, average length of time incarcerated, and treatment issues that arise in this multifaceted and challenging setting, mental health treatment providers should consider providing psychodynamic treatment modalities when working with incarcerated individuals. We also argue that more research is needed to examine the efficacy of these treatment approaches with inmate-clients.