PSB_112 The Arts and Techniques of Psychodynamic Therapy – level 1

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Michael Friedrich, MSc (lecturer), PhDr. Pavel Humpolíček, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Pavel Humpolíček, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jarmila Valchářová
Prerequisites
The course will be taught in English. The course will be only offered to students of psychology. The maximum number of students is 25.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to explore the practical methods of psychodynamic clinical work. The course draws on both traditional analytic theorists such as Freud, but also more modern British analytic theorists such as Winnicott and Bion. The emphasis of the course is to ground this theory in practical clinical examples.
Syllabus
  • 1. The setting
  • In this seminar we will discuss the setting of the course and of therapy. It includes an introduction to the content of the course and also sets boundaries, confidentiality, room arrangement etc of the course. In addition, we will discuss the boundaries, confidentiality, disclosure, room, chairs etc, which constitute the setting of therapy.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Chapter 1: Preliminary thoughts on learning from the patient, pp. 1-28. London: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 1: The Setting, pp. 1-5. London: Secker and Warburg.
  • 2. Who is the patient?
  • Here we will be talking about models of the structure and content of the mind and the internal world, personality and development.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A., Brown, D. & Pedder, J. (2000). Introduction to Psychotherapy: An outline of psychodynamic principles and practice (3rd ed.). Prologue, pp. xiii-xiv. Part I: The concept of conflict; Unconscious processes; Anxiety and psychic pain, pp. 9-21. Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge.
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 2: Models of the mind, pp. 27-48. London and New York: Routledge.
  • 3. Who is the therapist?
  • We will be exploring the attitude and mentality of the therapist, including: free floating attention, reverie, omnipotence, omniscience, negative capability, the medical model, insight, intuition and the therapist’s own therapy and training. We will also explore why we work as therapists and how to protect ourselves from this transference to the profession.
  • Recommended reading.
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Introduction, pp. ix. Appendix I, pp.221-223. London: Routledge.
  • Greenson, R.R. (1994). The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis. Chapter 4.21: The Skills Required of the Psychoanalyst, pp. 365-380. London: The Hogarth Press.
  • Grieder, A. Karl Jaspers on Medical Therapy, pp. 103-118.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 14: The Personality of the Therapist, pp. 164-186. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • 4. The first meeting.
  • In this seminar we will talk about the assessment and the first meeting. We will be talking about the transference and countertransference at the first meeting, taking a history of the patient’s present and past situation, formulation, classification, evaluating psychological mindedness of the patient and a mutual therapist-patient evaluation of whether it is possible to work together. We will also talk about housekeeping such as contracting, time of the therapy, times per week, fees etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 7: The assessment interview, pp. 139-152. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 2: The Initial Interview, pp. 6-15. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • 5. What happens in therapy?
  • We will be trying to understand what happens during the process of therapy, including: free association, regression, working through etc. We will also be discussing the spectrum of therapeutic interventions such as challenge, silence, exploration, interpretation etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 8: The therapeutic relationship, pp. 153-181. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 5:Interpretation, pp. 29-41. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • 6. Trying to understand the patient.
  • In this seminar we will discuss therapeutic process phenomena as information about the patient. It includes a discussion of the internal supervisor, trial identification, free floating attention, and supervision.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Chapter 2: The internal supervisor, pp. 29-56. London: Routledge.
  • 7. Difficulties in understanding the patient.
  • Here we will discuss: mechanisms of defence, resistances, not wanting to know, turning a blind eye, the unthought known, impasse etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A., Brown, D. & Pedder, J. (2000). Introduction to Psychotherapy: An outline of psychodynamic principles and practice (3rd ed.). Part I: Defense mechanisms, pp. 21-28. Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge.
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Chapter 4: Forms of interactive communication, pp. 72-101. London: Routledge.
  • 8. Dynamics of containment.
  • In this seminar we will be talking about: containment, failure to contain, risk assessment etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Chapter 6: Key dynamics of containment, pp. 132-154. Chapter 7: Analytic holding under pressure, pp. 155-167. London: Routledge.
  • 9. Transference and countertransfrrence.
  • We will be discussing: transference, countertransference, positive and negative transference, not interpreting transference etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). introduction to psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 5: Transference and countertransference, pp. 95-117. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 8: Transference, pp. 69-81. London: Secker and Warburg.
  • 10. The experiencial process.
  • In this seminar we will be discussing the experiential process of being in therapy and how this can provide information and be of intrinsic benefit to the patient. We will also discuss how it can be beneficial or harmful when the therapist makes a mistake or lets the patient down in some way.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. Chapter 8: Processes of search and discovery in the therapeutic experience, pp. 168-190. London: Routledge
  • 11. Dreams, symbols and imagination.
  • We will explore painting, writing, visualisation and other creative and imaginative activities and we will discuss methods of trying to understand the underlying meanings of the products of these activities.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 6: Dreams, symbols, imagination, pp. 118-135. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 6: Dreams, Daydreams, Paintings, Writings, pp. 42-54. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • 12. Clinical difficulties.
  • In this seminar we will talk about clinical difficulties and dilemmas such as: prejudice as opposed to useful categorization; difficulties with working with people of different age, gender, ethnicity, intelligence, etc.; what to do about lateness, breaks, suicide threats, medication etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Bateman, A. & Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. Chapter 9: Clinical dilemmas, pp. 182-211. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed . The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 7: Objectivity and Intimate Knowledge, pp. 55-68. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • 13. Ending.
  • Here we will talk about the ending of the course and the process of the course. We will also discuss the ending of therapy including: ending as a metaphor for and way of processing loss and death, length of ending process, what happens in the last session, the impossibility of being cured etc.
  • Recommended reading:
  • Storr, A. (1979, 1990 paperback ed). The Art of Psychotherapy. Chapter 13: Cure, Termination and Results, pp. 142-163. London: Seeker and Warburg.
  • Bibliography
  • Bateman, A. and Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. London: Routledge
  • Storr, A. (1979). The Art of Psychotherapy. London: Secker and Warburg.
  • Additional suggested reading
  • Bateman, A., Brown, D. & Pedder, J. (2000). Introduction to Psychotherapy: An outline of psychodynamic principles and practice (3rd ed.). Part I: Defense mechanisms, pp. 21-28. Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge.
  • Greenson, R.R. (1994). The Technique and Practice of Psychoanalysis. London: The Hogarth Press.
  • Rycroft, C. (1995, 2nd ed.). A Critical Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. London: Penguin.
  • Copies of individual papers relating to specific topics will be given to the students during the course and it is advisable for them to be read before the corresponding week’s course.
Literature
  • Bateman, A. and Holmes, J. (1995). Introduction to Psychoanalysis, contemporary theory and practice. London and New York: Routledge.
  • Storr, A. (1979). The Art of Psychotherapy. London: Secker and Warburg.
  • Casement, P. (1985). On Learning from the Patient. London: Routledge.
  • Copies of individual papers relating to specific topics will be given to the students during the course.
Teaching methods
The knowledge, skills and abilities contained within the objectives of this course will be taught using direct teaching of theory, seminar discussion of this theory, discussion of clinical presentations, role play as therapist in relation to verbatim accounts of therapy sessions and discussion of DVD and video material.
Assessment methods
Assessment Methods
The course will be assessed by a written essay, which will enable the students to demonstrate their grasp of the objectives of the course and the relationship and interaction of the elements within these objectives.

The course will also be assessed by a written test in the classroom which will evaluate the student’s ability to grasp the course content in a similar way to that described above.

The essay and test will be in English.

Requirements and course enrolment limitations
The course will be taught in English. The course will only be offered to students of Psychology. The maximum number of students is 25.

Students are required to attend 80% of classes to pass the course.
Language of instruction
English
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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