Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

The purpose of the course is to present basic knowledge about

psychodynamic therapy understood as a specific way of thinking about

the patient. Main concepts, phenomena, purposes, and therapeutic

methods will be discussed during the course, with a focus on using the

theory in practice. Therefore, various clinical vignettes and case studies

will be presented and analysed.

1. Introduction. What is psychodynamic therapy?

What are the principal psychodynamic conceptions?

− Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 1. “Key concepts” (with (with “Effectiveness’ research” skipped).

− McWilliams, N. (2004). Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A practitioner`s guide. The Guilford Press. Chapter 1.”What defines a psychoanalytic therapy?”.

− Gabbard, G.O. (2005). Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 2.“The theoretical basis of dynamic psychiatry”.

− McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis. Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process. New York, London: The Guilford Press. Chapter 2.”Psychoanalytic character diagnosis”.

2.Who can benefit from psychodynamic therapy? Essentials of psychodynamic diagnosis. What is special about the therapist – patient relationship in psychodynamic therapy?

− Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 2.”Assessment, indications, and formulation.”

− McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis. Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process. The Guilford Press. Chapter 3.”Developmental levels of personality organization”.

− Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 3.”The nuts and bolts of psychotherapy: getting started” (up to “Practical issues”). Chapter 4. “Therapeutic interventions: what does the therapist say and do?”

− McWilliams, N. (2004). Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner`s Guide. New York, London: The Guilford Press. Chapter 6. “Basic Therapy Processes. Power and love”.

3. 3. What are the specific phenomena? Transference, countertransference, projective identification, resistance.

- Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing.

- Chapter 6. “Working with resistance”.

- Chapter 8. “Identifying and working with countertransference”.

4. How does the psychodynamic therapist work? Setting, rules and boundaries, therapeutic interventions, dream analysis etc.

− Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 3.”The nuts and bolts of psychotherapy: getting started. Practical issues.”

− McWilliams, N. (2004). Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner`s Guide. New York, London: The Guilford Press. Chapter 6. “Basic Therapy Processes” (up to “Power and love”).

5. What cures in psychodynamic therapy? Is this method effective? The curative factors, effectiveness` research. What is special about the therapist?

− Gabbard, G.O. (2010). Long-term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text. Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing. Chapter 1. “Key concepts. Effectiveness` research”. Chapter 5. “Goals and therapeutic action.”

− Abbass A.A., Kisely S.R., Town J.M., Leichsenring F., Driessen E., De Maat S., Gerber A., Dekker J., Rabung S., Rusalovska S., Crowe E. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies for common mental disorders. (2014). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD004687. DOI:

10.1002/14651858.CD004687.pub4.

− McWilliams, N. (2004). Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner`s Guide. New York, London: The Guilford Press. Chapter 2. ”The psychoanalytic sensibility” and Chapter 3. “The Therapist’s Preparation”.

6. Working with depression and with obsessionality

− Lovgren A. et al. (2020). Improvement in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Depression. A Qualitative Study of the Patients’ Perspective. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 6843.

− Kamasz E., Pilarska N. (2022). Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. A case of compulsive masturbation in a patient with an obsessive-compulsive personality trait. The review of Psychology 65,2, 123-137.

7. Working with fear of abandonment and with low self-esteem.

− Schweitzer, R., & Vann, A. (2015). “I Can’t Leave Him, I Think He Loves Me”: A Case of Fear of Abandonment. In: R.F. Summers, J.P. Barber. (eds). Practicing psychodynamic therapy: a casebook. The Guilford Press: New York

− Collier, S. J. (2015). The Uncertain Father: A Case of Low Self Esteem. In: R.F. Summers, J.P. Barber. (eds). Practicing psychodynamic therapy: a casebook. The Guilford Press: New York

8. Working with panic anxiety and with trauma.

− Shah, D. (2015). Horrified and Guilty: A Case of Panic Anxiety. In: R.F. Summers, J.P. Barber. (eds). Practicing psychodynamic therapy: a casebook. The Guilford Press: New York

− Campanella, K. (2015). Our Therapeutic Journey: A Case of Trauma. In: R.F. Summers, J.P. Barber. (eds). Practicing psychodynamic therapy: a casebook. The Guilford Press: New York

9. Working with psychosis.

− Downing, D.L. (2017). A proposed model for outpatient treatment of psychosis in private practice settings.In: D.L. Downing, J. Mills (eds). Outpatient Treatment of Psychosis. Psychodynamic Approaches to Evidence-Based Practice. Routledge: New York.

- Rosenbaum B. et al. (2013). Supportive psychodynamic psychotherapy for psychosis. Advances in psychiatric treatment 2013, vol. 19, 310-318