Transference interventions in psychodynamic psychotherapy for adolescent depression: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Psychodynamic therapy posits that unconscious conflicts and past experiences influence present behavior.
• Transference, the projection of emotions onto the therapist, is a key concept in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
• Exploring transference is believed to enhance therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify examples of transference interventions in short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy with adolescents diagnosed with depression.
• To understand how these interventions are applied in clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study analyzing sessions from short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
• Inclusion of randomly selected sessions and sessions from therapies with good outcomes.
• Identification and analysis of specific transference interventions.

Main Results:

• Transference interventions were utilized to a moderate degree.
• Interventions primarily aimed to facilitate patient disclosure of feelings towards the therapist and therapy.
• These interventions were often preparatory and linked to the adolescent's current life, frequently posed as open-ended questions.

Conclusions:

• Transference interventions in adolescent depression psychotherapy are often practical and relevant to the patient's immediate experiences.
• The use of open questions is a common method for implementing these interventions.
• Further research can explore the specific impact and efficacy of these interventions.