Psychodynamic Therapy

"This is the best book on psychotherapy that this former training director has ever read. It is rooted in both 21st-century science and the wisdom of psychiatry over the past two centuries. Students will value its lucidity, positivity, and common sense."--George E. Vaillant, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "At last, we have the definitive book on psychodynamic therapy. The authors weave together traditional psychodynamic strategies and techniques with up-to-date developments in the field. The chapters are extremely well written, containing clinical examples that illustrate the strategies and techniques. The volume integrates psychotherapy with couple and family therapy, positive psychology, and combined psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. I highly recommend this book to clinicians and students who want the latest on psychodynamic therapy."--Aaron T. Beck, MD, University Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania "This important work combines the wisdom of experienced therapists with current empirical research. The book includes thoughtful discussions of alliance, transference, and interpretation, along with newer understandings of narrative and trauma. Summers and Barber share what they know, based on systematic research; what they believe, based on clinical experience; and, especially, what works--the specific clinical strategies they have found to be helpful and effective."--Robert Michels, MD, Walsh McDermott University Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, Cornell University "This gem of a book fills an important gap in the dynamic therapy literature, incorporating cutting-edge research and conceptual advances while using jargon-free, experience-near language. The result is a scholarly, nuanced, and innovative work that will be highly useful for beginning clinicians, supervisors, and even experienced clinicians across all major theoretical orientations. Summers and Barber debunk outdated and stereotyped ideas about dynamic psychotherapy by describing in a clear, pragmatic manner the core principles and the unique aspects of a dynamic approach. The clinical examples are vivid and resonant, illustrating the added value of dynamic principles for understanding and intervening with patients. A 'must read'!"--Kenneth N. Levy, PhD, Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University -

Richard F. Summers, MD, ABPN, is Clinical Professor and Co-Director of Residency Training in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He has written extensively on psychodynamic therapy, the therapeutic alliance, psychodynamic formulation, psychiatric education, and positive psychology. With Jacques P. Barber, Dr. Summers is coauthor ofPsychodynamic Therapy: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practice and coeditor of Practicing Psychodynamic Therapy: A Casebook. Dr. Summers is the recipient of numerous national and local teaching awards, serves as Chair of the American Psychiatric Association Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning, and is a member of the Psychiatry Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Past president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training, he maintains an active clinical practice. Jacques P. Barber, PhD, ABPP, is Professor and Dean of the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University. He is also Emeritus Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and in the Psychology Graduate Group at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was formerly Associate Director of the Center for Psychotherapy Research, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. His research focuses on the outcome and process of psychodynamic and cognitive therapies for depression, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance dependence, and personality disorders. He has published more than 225 papers, chapters, and books in the field of psychotherapy and personality. With Richard F. Summers, Dr. Barber is coauthor of Psychodynamic Therapy: A Guide to Evidence-Based Practiceand coeditor of Practicing Psychodynamic Therapy: A Casebook. Dr. Barber is past president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research and a recipient of its Distinguished Research Career Award.

Introduction I. Context 1. Why Dynamic Psychotherapy? 2. Pragmatic Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Conceptual Model and Techniques 3. The Other Psychotherapies II. Opening Phase 4. The Therapeutic Alliance: Goal, Task, and Bond 5. Core Psychodynamic Problems, Part I 6. Core Psychodynamic Problems, Part II 7. Psychodynamic Formulation 8. Defining a Focus and Setting Goals III. Middle Phase 9. The Narrative: Building a Personal Story 10. Change 11. Moments in Psychotherapy 12. Therapist Strengths, or Managing Your Countertransference IV. Combining Treatments 13. Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapy 14. The Patient Is Part of a Family, with Ellen Berman V. Ending 15. Goals and Termination