For Learners to Psychodynamic Therapy, Start Here
The following two articles are written by Psychodynamic psychotherapist Dr. John Shedler. I like them for their brevity and their plain, easy-to-understand language:
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/amp-65-2-98.pdf
PODCASTS:
Podcasts are also useful in giving learners a sense of what it is we are trying to accomplish in therapy and the relationship and milieu we are trying to cultivate. You will notice again, that for psychodynamic therapy, my go-to is Dr. John Shedler. Very important is also being able to process difficult emotions during a therapy session and so I also included a podcast episode featuring Dr. Sue Johnson, the founder of emotion-focused therapy.
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Mark L. Ruffalo, MSW, DPsa
BOOKS:
The books by Nancy McWilliams and Glen Gabbard are the most widely-accepted and popular texts for psychodynamic psychotherapy particularly for learners.
I included Dr. Shea's psychiatric interviewing book in this list because it is an excellent text that teaches learners the art of the psychiatric interview. Ultimately, the interviewer is tasked with creating a supportive, safe and nonjudgmental space, while also making sure to leave as little influence or mark on the answers as possible, so as to get the truest, most accurate answer. It far easier said than done, but this book will get you started.
Alice Miller gives learners a sense of the kinds of early life experiences patients have for which they may seek therapy. In her book, she gives a context and understanding for how psychological symptoms in adulthood can be traced back to childhood. It is a goal in psychodynamic therapy to help patients understand this better for themselves.
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Guilford Press
