Relation of theory and practice in psychodynamic therapy

[The techniques of the psychodynamic therapist: verbal interventions from a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective ]

OBJECTIVES

To date we have only a limited understanding of the concrete verbal intervention techniques used in psychodynamic psychotherapy. In particular, there is no standard classification of these techniques.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We analyzed the various types of verbal psychodynamic interventions from a theoretical perspective and looked at the issues relating to the definition and operationalization of these techniques. A list of different intervention types described in the theoretical literature was compiled and the varying definitions were compared. In addition, we developed a classification system to reflect the use of intervention types employed in psychodynamic practice. Qualitatively analyzed session transcripts formed the basis of this new classification system. The interventions were classified in terms of conversational technique (24 categories), thematic content (9 categories), and temporal focus (4 categories).

CONCLUSIONS

Empirical research in this field necessitates clear operational definitions and the unambiguous use of related terms. We developed a classification system in order to systematize and operationalize different types of interventions. It can be used for process research and to summarize specific techniques used in psychotherapy training.

There is no place for the psychoanalytic case report in the British Journal of Psychiatry

As evidence-based mental health and the randomised controlled trial come to dominate the content of major psychiatric journals, the status and clinical utility of single case reports have been increasingly questioned. Arguably, owing to their subjective, anecdotal nature and unsuitability for rigorous scientific testing, this is particularly true of psychoanalytic case studies. Professor Peter Fonagy and Professor Lewis Wolpert debate here whether or not there is a place for such case reports in the British Journal of Psychiatry.