Teaching psychodynamic psychotherapy in the 21st century

Special challenges face the 21st century teacher of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Time for careful psychodynamic reflection, of necessity, competes for space with the current explosion of psychiatric knowledge in psychopharmacology, genetics, health care policy and multiple other agendas. Thus educators must be clear about the goals of psychodynamic psychotherapy, engage students in the special interviewing techniques to elicit sensitive information and appreciate the special needs of today's physicians launching into this field. Educational objectives must be clear, the goals of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy well articulated and the means to gather information enhanced. With the expansion of neuroscience into the mysteries of implicit and explicit memory this is also an area where the 21st century educator must develop integrative expertise. There are tools available to expand ones proficiency in each of these areas.