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Textbook Ebook Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques A Guide To Expressive and Supportive Interventions Brian A Sharpless All Chapter PDF
Textbook Ebook Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques A Guide To Expressive and Supportive Interventions Brian A Sharpless All Chapter PDF
Psychodynamic Therapy
Techniques
A Guide to Expressive and
Supportive Interventions
BRIAN A. SHARPLESS
1
iv
1
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers
the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education
by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University
Press in the UK and certain other countries.
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v
CONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1. Introduction 1
Afterword 219
Appendix A: Psychodynamic Therapy Manuals and Models 221
References 229
Index 257
vi
ix
PREFACE
x Preface
However, as anyone who studies the subject knows, it is difficult to write any-
thing general about psychodynamic therapy (e.g., a book on techniques) without
alienating large portions of the field.4 This text, though intended to be as neutral as
possible, will nevertheless reflect my own preferred theories and prior training.5
However, my hope is that the descriptions of techniques, and the procedures
for formulating them, will be applicable across the many forms of psychody-
namic therapy. At present, all these viewpoints are needed, as they each provide
a slightly different conceptual lens through which to view people and pathology.
Psychotherapy is no small task. Given the sheer range and intricacy of human suf-
fering, a plurality of views seems far preferable to a hegemony.
After all, humans are nothing if not complex and full of contradictions. This
is strikingly apparent to me at the present moment. I drafted this preface while
walking around the crumbling ruins of a castle owned by a long dead 16th-
century countess. By all accounts she was a brilliant woman, a polymath, a patriot,
and a very good mother. However, she was also a sexual sadist and a serial killer—
perhaps the most prolific in all recorded human history. If the trial records are to
be believed, she may have been responsible for the deaths of up to 650 women and
girls.6 Again, people are nothing if not complex and full of contradictions.
Regardless of the person or the patient involved, psychodynamic therapy is a
useful, albeit imperfect method for peeling back the light, dark, and gray layers of
human existence. A possibility for better relationships and an end to old patterns
could result from using its techniques. More generally, psychodynamic therapy
is a means to help people move forward in their lives or, at least, to better under-
stand themselves and their many confusing contradictions.
—Čachtice, Slovakia, 2018
NOTES
1. The reader will hopefully forgive me for adapting this particularly dramatic quote
from the Bhagavad Gita (2009, p. 464).
2. However, as described in Chapter 2, there are a number of top-notch psychody-
namic researchers currently hard at work.
3. For instance, see Sharpless (2013).
4. Jacques Barber and I (2015) recently argued that these internecine struggles might
be a legitimate danger to the future of psychodynamic therapy.
5. This includes the broad suborientations of ego psychology and object relations as
well as the more specific approaches of supportive–expressive therapy, transference-
focused psychotherapy, and mentalization-based treatments. I also have experience
in cognitive-behavior and existential approaches.
6. See McNally (1983) and Craft (2014).
xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A number of people contributed to making this book a reality. I would first like
to express my gratitude to Sarah Harrington at Oxford University Press. Sarah
is not only great at her job, but a lot of fun to work with. Second, I would like
to thank all of my patients and clinical supervisors. Next, I would like to thank
my colleagues, friends, and students at the American School of Professional
Psychology, the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, and
Washington State University. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to indi-
vidually thank Gary Sharpless, Linda Sharpless, Jamie Weaver, Peter Arnett, Jason
Baker, Jacques Barber, Larry Blum, Thomas Borkovec, Louis Castonguay, Dianne
Chambless, Amanda Cummings, Homer Curtis, Dan Denis, Mariana Dobre,
Karl Doghramji, Christopher French, Reed Goldstein, William Gottdiener, Alice
Gregory, Laena Huffaker, Michael Kowitt, Ken Levy, Peter Lilliengren, James
Martin, Dakota Mauzay, Kevin McCarthy, Victoria Merritt, Jessie Meyer, Barbara
Milrod, the Nationals Capital Area Skeptics, Niels Nielsen, Debra O’Connell,
Desmond Oathes, Aaron Pincus, the Psychodynamic Research listerve, the Ratio
Organization of Popular Science, Michael Roche, Gowen Roper, Matt Rothrock,
Ayelet Ruscio, Jeremy Safran, Debbie Seagull, Skeptics in the Pub UK, Christina
Temes, Sandra Testa, Joseph Tse, Bo Vinnars, Deborah Wachter, Ernest Wachter,
Kenneth Wachter, Thomas Wachter, and Jacob Zimmerman.
xi
xi
Introduction
However, these two simple goals quickly became complicated. The long his-
tory of our field is in many ways a strength,2 but it also has some unintended
consequences. For example, a number of techniques have been defined inconsist-
ently across authors. One person’s confrontation might be another author’s clar-
ification, or vice versa (see Chapters 11 and 12). Making the matter even more
complex, certain technical terms have undergone such heavy theoretical modifi-
cation over the years that they are viewed quite differently in 2019 than they would
have been in the early days of psychoanalysis (e.g., evenly-hovering attention as
described in Chapter 8). A solution to these conceptual difficulties—imperfect
though it may be—was to separate the main techniques according to their ther-
apeutic intentions.3 Therefore, all the specific psychodynamic interventions
were distinguished from one another according to their specific a priori clinical
functions. This will hopefully make the book easier to use.
BACKGROUND TRAINING
If any of these knowledge bases have not yet been acquired, this book might best
be supplemented with one of the previously mentioned psychodynamic texts and
other relevant resources. Of course, it is also strongly recommended that readers
receive clinical supervision from licensed providers intimately familiar with these
3
Introduction3
This book is divided into three sections and one appendix. The first section
focuses on information relevant to understanding and applying psychodynamic
techniques. It begins with a chapter on the empirical status of psychodynamic
therapy and makes the case for its importance in the contemporary clinical
landscape. Next, individual chapters describe psychodynamic treatment goals,
components of the psychodynamic stance, and the “supportive–expressive” con-
tinuum of techniques/treatments. The last two chapters detail the characteristics
of good psychodynamic interventions and suggest ways to assess clinical impacts
during session (i.e., were they effective?).
The second section of this book focuses on what many practitioners consider
to be the classic psychodynamic techniques (e.g., Yeomans, Clarkin, & Kernberg,
2015).5 Eleven foundational techniques are described first (e.g., how to listen in
a psychodynamic manner, abstinence, technical neutrality). They are considered
foundational because they lay the groundwork for more specific interventions.
Next, individual chapters are devoted to each of the “big four” techniques of
questions, clarifications, confrontations, and interpretations. Clinical vignettes6
are interspersed among the historical, theoretical, and practical discussions.
Methods for formulating these techniques are suggested along with tips on
phrasing.
Section III focuses on the expanded range of psychodynamic practice by
outlining supportive therapy techniques. As is well known, not every patient is
appropriate for traditional, insight-oriented therapy. In fact, this approach may
even be contraindicated for sicker patients (especially for those with a psychotic
personality organization or those in a state of acute crisis; see Rockland, 1989).
Six sets of supportive techniques are described. The intentions of these range
from supporting self-esteem and reducing patient anxiety to improving adapt
ive life skills. The final chapter focuses specifically on ways to identify and re-
pair therapeutic alliance ruptures. These events, common to all forms of therapy
(i.e., expressive, supportive, or otherwise), can lead to poor therapy outcome and
premature termination (Eubanks-Carter, Muran, & Safran, 2015). However, if
managed properly, ruptures can also serve as an impetus for meaningful clinical
change (Safran & Muran, 2000).
Finally, the appendix, co-authored with Peter Lilliengren, serves as a resource
for those interested in exploring the empirical literatures or locating specific
4
NOTES
SECTION I
Background Information
for Psychodynamic Therapy
Techniques
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