WSP Short Term Intensive Dynamic Psychotherapy Training Program
There are still openings for the Fall 2009
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Training Program
Jon Frederickson, MSW, Co-Chair
Barbara Suter, Ph.D., Co-chair
Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy is designed to achieve long term structural character change in briefer periods than with traditional psychodynamic therapy. Based on psychodynamic theory, it uses active techniques designed to focus, clarify, and intensify the therapeutic process.
This model of treatment was first developed by Habib Davanloo. Davanloo recognized that rapid character change could take place through helping the patient relinquish defenses against emotional experience. He accomplished this through a method of handling resistance and transference which mobilizes the patient’s unconscious therapeutic alliance. As a result, the patient reveals the core emotions and conflicts which have been responsible for character problems. This model of treatment has shown excellent results with a broad range of patients in numerous psychotherapy studies over the past 35 years.
In addition to the work of Davanloo, this program introduces students to recent contributions to this technique. Students will also study work on defense restructuring (Patricia Coughlin), attachment theory based ISTDP (Rob Neborsky), work with fragile patients (Allan Abbass), mindfulness based ISTDP (Allen Kalpin), mobilizing ego capacity (Josette ten Have de Labije), work with projection (Kees Cornellisen), radical empathy (Diana Fosha), and other subjects as well. This course will focus on relational and experiential techniques for deepening the therapeutic relationship by facilitating the experience and working through of core affects.
When patients can afford only a time-limited treatment, therapists must be even more skilled, rapid, and effective. We will teach those clinical skills in this program. Students learn how to help patients relinquish defenses in order to face feelings they previously avoided. You will also learn how to recognize pathways of unconscious anxiety discharge in the body so as to help patients better regulate their anxiety. You will also learn how to use “radical empathy” in order to better connect to the patient emotionally. You will learn how to help patients turn against ego syntonic defenses. Whether you do primarily long term or short term psychotherapy, the skills you learn in this course will deepen and accelerate your work with all of your patients. Whatever theoretical orientation you use, the course will increase your skills for intensive therapy.
Format
This is a three year program which leads to a certificate and graduation. However, you can take one semester, one year, two years, or three years of the program. The ISTDP training for the first year of the program is organized in two hour classes. The first hour is a theoretical presentation; the second hour uses videotaped therapy sessions to illustrate the theory and to develop your clinical skills. It is our intent to demonstrate everything we teach with videotaped examples drawn from our own work.
Classes for first year students meet Fridays in the late afternoons, ten sessions a semester.
Curriculum
First Year, First Semester
Basic principles of theory and technique in ISTDP: the triangle of conflict, regulation of anxiety, unconscious pathways of anxiety discharge, restructuring of defenses, therapeutic alliance—conscious and unconscious, resistance, transference.
First Year, Second Semester
Working through the central dynamic sequence of psychotherapy–beginning with a patient, psychodiagnosis of fragility and depression, working with superego pathology, resistance against emotional closeness, deactivating malignant transferences and an introduction to a variant of ISTDP, Diana Fosha’s AEDP.
Supervision
Optional small group and individual supervision can be set up as needed.
Educational Objectives
First Year
· Recognize the triangle of conflict and how to use it to obtain character change quickly
· Recognize the pathways of unconscious anxiety discharge and learn how to regulate the patient’s anxiety
· Learn to recognize, clarify, and confront defenses, and how to transform them from syntonic to ego dystonic
· Learn to help patients face feelings without anxiety or defenses interfering
· Learn how to mobilize the therapeutic alliance
Eligibility
General guidelines:
· A graduate degree in social work, psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, counseling, or related clinical fields
· Experience conducting psychotherapy
· Personal psychodynamic psychotherapy
· A solid grounding in psychodynamic psychotherapy
Applications will be considered on the basis of individual skills, maturity, and experience
Tuition
Year 1: $1,200
Faculty
- Jon Frederickson, MSW, Co-Chair
- Barbara Suter, Ph.D., Co-chair
- Steve Slatkin, MD
- Leyla M. Kenny, Ph.D.
- Janet Merkel, Ph.D.
- Nancy Reder, MSW
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply to the program, print and complete the application form
Please send the completed application form to
Registrar, Washington School of Psychiatry
5028 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20016-4118
You can also call 202 237-2700 to receive an application form by mail.
For more information about the Washington School go to our website: www.wspdc.org