Issues in teaching and learning time-limited psychodynamic psychotherapy

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Psychotherapy Training

Background:

• Empirical investigations into psychotherapy training are limited.
• Traditional psychodynamic training adapts psychoanalytic theory for instruction.
• There is a need for improved psychotherapy teaching methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review psychodynamic psychotherapy training, focusing on short-term treatments.
• To propose a new framework for understanding and developing therapeutic expertise.
• To suggest improvements for psychotherapy teaching methods.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on psychodynamic psychotherapy training.
• Application of cognitive science principles related to generic expertise development.
• Description of a multimedia computer-based teaching format.

Main Results:

• Few empirical studies exist on actual psychotherapy training.
• Cognitive science offers a potentially more fruitful framework for therapeutic expertise.
• A multimedia format can bridge didactic coursework and supervision.

Conclusions:

• Psychotherapy training can benefit from cognitive science perspectives on expertise.
• Multimedia technology can enhance the development of therapeutic skills.
• Recommendations are provided for improving current training methods.