Theory and technique in dynamic psychotherapy--curative factors and training therapists to maximize them

Three principles of curative factors in dynamic psychotherapy are reviewed: (1) Achieving a helping relationship; (2) achieving self-understanding, and (3) maintaining the gains. A new development in psychotherapy research is illustrated: the creation of operational measures that relate to the curative factors: the therapeutic alliance, the transference, accuracy of interpreting the transference, insight, change in transference and psychiatric severity. Such operational measures can be reliably estimated from psychotherapy sessions because they specify what each measure represents. A special format for training therapists to foster these curative factors is presented called 'group training in supervision of psychotherapy'.