Psychodynamic psychotherapy is an empirically-supported intervention for children, adolescents and adults. The essence of psychodynamic psychotherapy is increasing self-knowledge by exploring aspects of self that are not fully known, especially as they are manifested and potentially influenced in the psychotherapy relationship. There are several features of psychodynamic technique that reliably distinguish it from other approaches: focus on affect and expression/regulation of emotion; exploration of attempts to avoid distressing thoughts and feelings; identification of recurring themes and relational patterns; discussion of past experiences (with a developmental focus); focus on interpersonal relations; focus on the therapy relationship; and encouragement to speak freely about whatever is on one’s mind. It is used primarily to treat the following concerns:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Chronic personality challenges
- Anger management
- Attachment/relationship difficulties
