A Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy Approach for College Students

This article explores the need for university counseling centers (UCCs) to implement brief therapies and describes one such treatment, intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP), as a particularly viable therapeutic approach in this setting. Because ISTDP is not appropriate for all students seeking therapy, a careful assessment of the client is conducted prior to deciding which treatment approach is best suited for the client. The different restructuring techniques that comprise ISTDP are discussed. The article ends with a brief vignette from a therapy session with a student involving ISTDP techniques.