Supportive Therapy: A Psychodynamic Approach

In recent years therapists have been treating more and more seriously disturbed patients, who do not respond well to insight-oriented exploratory techniques or to common-sense approaches. A therapy specifically designed for this growing population is needed and this superb new book admirably fills the gap. It is the first to provide a carefully designed clinical approach to supportive psychotherapy that is rigorously connected to psychodynamic theory. The main goal of the therapy described here is to improve ego functions and adaptations rather than to explore unconscious conflicts. Thus, the emphasis is on strengthening reality testing, discouraging impulsivity, and clarifying confused thinking, while minimizing the regression and negative transference characteristic of exploratory therapy. In chapters richly illustrated with clinical material, the author details the strategies and rationales of this practice, covering such topics as transference and countertransference, resistance, working through, and the relationship between supportive therapy and psychopharmacology. Clinically sophisticated yet immensely practical, this valuable resource will enhance the skill and understanding of every therapist -- student, clinician, or teacher -- who practices supportive psychotherapy.