Problem-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Book excerpt: Whereas psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy have traditionally avoided focusing too much on specific symptoms or problems--lest they interfere with free association--this new guide articulates the value of more active and symptom-focused interventions. Having worked on focused psychodynamic treatments of panic disorder, depression, trauma, and behavioral change, Fredric Busch, M.D. expands on that work here, articulating how a focused approach can be adapted for patients in general. Drawing on a wealth of case vignettes, the book describes how to apply Problem-Focused Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PrFPP) to symptoms, personality issues, behavioral problems, and relationship difficulties. It provides novice and experienced clinicians alike with the tools they need to help patients identify problem areas and understand how specific dynamics emerge in different contexts and overlap in contributing to issues. The psychodynamic techniques readers will glean in these pages demonstrate how to rapidly address core difficulties, expanding patients' self-reflective capacities and the identification of their own dynamics--even in the case of short-term interventions.