Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy encompasses a cluster of psychotherapy approaches offering conceptions of treatment goals, the treatment process, and therapeutic techniques to be used by the therapist. There is no single psychodynamic treatment, as psychodynamic therapy includes a number of approaches that focus, to varying extents, on the different features of psychodynamic treatment. Some key features include emphasis on the inner experience of the patient during treatment, the goal of helping the patient achieve greater self-insight, and the relationship between the patient and therapist. This entry discusses the different types of psychodynamic treatment approaches, common features of psychodynamic therapy, and the goals of psychodynamic therapy.