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Focusing on affect and the expression of emotion has long been a key feature of psychodynamic psychotherapies. While psychodynamically-oriented therapists have always paid attention to the emotional life of their clients, they usually do not focus on accessing and processing emotions in the manner and to the degree that emotion-focused therapists do. By recognizing the power of emotion as a fundamental change mechanism, an increasing number of therapists who previously defined themselves a classically psychodynamic (e.g., fostering insight through interpretation) are now placing themselves in the “experiential camp.” Developed in the 1980′s, Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy (TLDP) has undergone several changes. One of these is to emphasize experiential learning as a main therapeutic change agent. In this updated version of TLDP, there is a focus on accessing feelings in the here–and-now that are seen as altering and even transforming old dysfunctional patterns of relating to self and others. To provide examples of what such interventions might look like in an integrative psychodynamically-oriented therapy, excerpts from transcripts of actual TLDP sessions will be provided. In particular, vignettes will illustrate accessing and processing emotion relevant for understanding and shifting a client’s cyclical maladaptive pattern and “working through.”

In this chapter, the case is made that the procedure for memory reconsolidation (MR) is compatible with the strategies and interventions of modern psychodynamic psychotherapy. In particular the concept of the corrective emotional experience (CEE) is seen as integral to the MR process. A measure (the Narrative-Emotional Processing Coding System [NEPCS]) was used to code transcripts from a case being seen in Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy. Results indicate that the NEPCS was able to track key shifts consistent with the MR process and CEE. One implication of this work is that psychodynamic therapists might be able to use an MR framework intentionally to foster enduring change more effectively and efficiently.

This study investigated the immediate and long-term personal and professional effects of a 4-day externship training in emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT). EFT externship training uses lecture, discussion, video vignettes, live demonstrations, and role-plays to convey an attachment-based approach to working with couples. The two samples included clinicians (N = 76) who completed surveys immediately before and after training, and a subset of these clinicians (N = 29) who completed measures an average of 8 months later. Results indicate that following training, participants increased in their EFT knowledge and competence, became more open to their feelings, were more self-compassionate, were less likely to use avoidant attachment behaviors, and improved their own personal relationships.

The results of 2 large surveys (of practitioners and graduate school/internship training directors) indicate that there is a considerable amount of brief therapy being conducted by psychodynamically trained therapists. However, their training in this specialization does not appear to be adequate. Eleven recommendations (e.g., addressing therapists' attitudes toward brief therapy, studying training processes and outcomes, using videotapes for teaching and supervision) are set forth to foster improvements in such training. We conclude that it is critical that the sizeable number of psychodynamic therapists conducting brief therapy receive continuing in-depth training in this challenging and demanding field.

In order to evaluate the impact of training on attitudes and values regarding time-limited therapy, an attitudes instrument (The Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Therapy Questionnaire (BAT-Q)) was administered to 167 experienced therapists before and following workshops on brief therapy techniques. Data analysis of the results of the pre- and post-training administrations indicated that, following training, clinicians were typically more positively disposed towards time-limited therapy. The most significant changes occurred in attitudes regarding the purpose of psychotherapy in general and the value of brief techniques in the treatment of serious long standing psychopathology. Such attitude and value changes are critical in helping therapists make the transition from time-unlimited to time-limited interventions.

California and Massachusetts psychologists (N = 850, 58% response rate) returned a questionnaire to ascertain clinicians' brief-therapy experience, training, self-assessed skill, and attitude. Results indicate respondents spend a considerable portion (40%) of their clinical time doing brief therapy. A disturbing finding is that one-third of those presently doing brief therapy reported that they had received little or no training in brief-therapy theory or techniques. Self-rated skill in brief therapy was found to be best predicted by a combination of one's experience, training, and attitude. We conclude that, while the number of therapists using brief therapy has increased rapidly and apparently will continue to increase due to the expansion of managed health care, many psychologists do not have adequate training to use brief therapy successfully. Implications of this finding in terms of its potentially harmful effects and suggestions for future training are discussed.

The consensual response method is well suited for systematically converting ideas generated in a case conference into a narrative psychodynamic formulation. In this section we describe the application of our method to the case provided by J. C. Perry.

College students operated under different classroom contingencies. The Programmed Achievement (PA) condition required students to evidence criterion performance (100% mastery) on weekly quizzes. Failure to show mastery performance on any of the weekly quizzes resulted in course failure. The Standard Control (S-C) condition involved a more traditional college classroom structure where students took weekly quizzes with no requirement to evidence mastery. Male and female performances were analyzed to determine if different course structures interacted with sex of student. The results indicated that PA students demonstrated higher performance than controls on weekly quizzes and a major exam. It was also shown that PA females increased at a more rapid rate than PA males, while S-C males and females were not significantly different. Theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

Summary Some studies report that activists are Internals, while others claim they are Externals, holding a belief in chance, fate, and powerful others. Three new scales were constructed in order to measure belief in chance (C) as separate from expectancy for control by powerful others (P), and perceived mastery over one's personal life (I). Two studies are reported. (1.) As predicted, responses from 96 adults indicated that only a belief in chance was differentially related to involvement and information on anti-pollution activities. (2.) In factor analyzing the responses of 329 college males to the 24 items of the new scales, three main factors were identified — I, P, and C. The validity and usefulness of the tripartite division in clarifying past findings regarding the multidimensionality of I-E were discussed.

The present study explored the usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in understanding the relationship between duration of chronic pain and psychiatric difficulties. The MMPI responses of workers' compensation patients with varying levels of low back pain chronicity were compared. One hundred ninety eight patients, divided into three groups according to length of disability, underwent social history interviews and completed the MMPI. In regard to the overall profile, the sample had elevations on the Hypochondriasis, Depression, and Hysteria scales. A series of analysis of variance designs revealed that those who were disabled for two or more years evidenced significantly more depression and psychopathology than those who were disabled for less than one year. Further statistical evaluation of 200 social history variables did not reveal significant differences between the three groups on most variables. In conjunction with previous research, the results suggested a causative link between disability and psychiatric disease.