Ole André Solbakken, Filip Myhre, Jonas Sharma-Bakkevig, Bernt Langvasbråten, Roger Sandvik Hansen
{"title":"Fifteen Years of ISTDP in Norway.","authors":"Ole André Solbakken, Filip Myhre, Jonas Sharma-Bakkevig, Bernt Langvasbråten, Roger Sandvik Hansen","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240027","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The year 2024 celebrates the 15th anniversary of nationally organized training in and delivery of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) in Norway. Accordingly, the authors provide an overview of the implementation of ISTDP in Norway, examine ISTDP's impact on mental health delivery, review research, reflect on practice, and discuss future directions for ISTDP in the country. Since its introduction in Norway, ISTDP has gained significant popularity and recognition in the mental health field. The training of Norwegian trainers and the founding of the Norwegian Institute for ISTDP allowed for the expansion and scalability of the ISTDP training program. Alignment of the training program with the existing framework for postgraduate specialization for psychologists and its accreditation by the Norwegian Psychological Association has ensured recognition and relevance in the mental health field. Private- and public-sector applications have further contributed to the growth and dissemination of the method in Norway. ISTDP has thus become an integral and important part of the therapeutic landscape, providing hope and healing to individuals facing various emotional challenges. ISTDP's influence is likely to keep growing, both within Norway and internationally, thus contributing to the advancement of effective psychotherapy practices worldwide.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"174-178"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kees L M Cornelissen, Anna Bartak, Marijke A de Haan, Joel M Town
{"title":"Residential Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy, Part 1: Accelerating the Treatment of Personality Disorders.","authors":"Kees L M Cornelissen, Anna Bartak, Marijke A de Haan, Joel M Town","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240020","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) delivered in an individual therapy (vs. group) format has proved to be an effective treatment option for a broad range of patients with treatment-resistant mental health conditions. A novel residential program based on ISTDP was designed for patients whose personality disorders were treatment resistant (N=155), meaning that patients did not benefit from outpatient psychotherapy. The authors proposed that a specific treatment approach-residential ISTDP-can be a treatment option for patients with personality disorders. This article describes the ideas and characteristic features of how ISTDP was integrated within an innovative residential treatment program to accelerate change processes and reduce health care consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"146-152"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144508832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Seeing Signal Anxiety: Davanloo's Pathways of Anxiety Discharge.","authors":"Maurice L Joseph","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240032","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240032","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite the efforts of Paul Gray and others, a \"developmental lag\" persists in the translation of Freud's structural theory into psychodynamic clinical technique, especially regarding the clinical manifestations and significance of signal anxiety. In this article, the author introduces Habib Davanloo's pathways of anxiety discharge as a conceptual tool that can be used for detecting Freud's signal anxiety and offers clinical hypotheses that can be extrapolated from a marriage of Freud's and Davanloo's ideas. The author demonstrates the clinical application of these ideas with a case example and discusses the virtues and limitations of incorporating Davanloo's ideas into psychodynamic clinical work in general, with the hope that therapists will further test these hypotheses as they listen to and intervene with their patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"179-185"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144015296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy for Suicidal Ideation and Anger in Suicidal Behavior.","authors":"Fateh Rahmani, Neda Kakaie, Habibolah Khazaie","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240023","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240023","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) in reducing anger and suicidal ideation among individuals with suicidal behavior.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A quasi-experimental design was used, with 30 participants randomly assigned to an experimental or a medication-only control group. Participants, recently hospitalized in Kermanshah, Iran, because of suicide attempt, were assessed via the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation at baseline and posttreatment. Treatment began after group assignment.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ISTDP significantly reduced anger (p<0.05) and suicidal ideation (p<0.05), significantly decreasing the likelihood of suicide reattempts.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>ISTDP offers promise in combating suicidal thoughts and behaviors, supporting the psychodynamic hypothesis of anger dynamics and inward anger.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"186-189"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143781626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Benefits of Using Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy in Psychiatric Practice.","authors":"Anna Hofner, Jordan Bawks","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240040","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychiatry residency programs in the United States and Canada currently require trainees to demonstrate competency in psychodynamic therapy. Developed by Habib Davanloo, intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) is a brief psychodynamic therapy with emerging evidence to support its efficacy as an evidence-based, cost-effective treatment for various common psychiatric disorders and personality pathologies. Davanloo's metapsychology of the unconscious offers a way to understand the psychodynamic processes that maintain patients' psychiatric symptoms. Some key clinical processes unique to ISTDP facilitate conceptualization of patients' problems and allow for effective interventions. ISTDP skills can be especially helpful when working with populations with complex and treatment-resistant conditions that are commonly encountered in psychiatric secondary- and tertiary-care settings. This article aims to examine the value of ISTDP training for psychiatrists. First, the benefits of being able to offer formal treatment with ISTDP are examined. Second, the unique skills acquired through ISTDP training, which can be used in general psychiatric care, are reviewed. Finally, the personal and systemic benefits of ISTDP training, including clinician self-monitoring, management of burnout, and team leadership, are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"167-173"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Cost-Effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy in Public Health Care Settings.","authors":"Leo Russell","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240041","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Public health care systems are tasked with meeting the wide-ranging needs of large patient populations. Interventions that are broadly applicable, clinically effective, and cost-efficient are essential. Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) is an evidence-based psychodynamic therapy that has been successfully applied in the treatment of many mental health conditions and functional somatic disorders. The aim of this scoping review was to describe the health economic data of ISTDP in health care settings. Substantial financial savings and reductions were identified from hospital, physician, medication, disability, and welfare costs following treatment. ISTDP has the potential to deliver significant cost reductions for state funders, health commissioners, and care providers. Additional research is required to confirm the full extent of cost savings that can be achieved with ISTDP.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"137-145"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy: An Introduction to the Special Issue.","authors":"Allan Anthony Abbass","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20250027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20250027","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":"78 3","pages":"133-134"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145066022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Private Loss of Dr. M.","authors":"Anita Kumar Chang","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240058","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240058","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"79-80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicholas Boswell, Ruby Barghini, Seamus Bhatt-Mackin, Aimee Murray, David Topor, Alyson Nakamura, Laurel Pellegrino, Anne E Ruble
{"title":"Repairing Cultural Ruptures in Psychotherapy: Strategies to Enhance the Therapeutic Alliance.","authors":"Nicholas Boswell, Ruby Barghini, Seamus Bhatt-Mackin, Aimee Murray, David Topor, Alyson Nakamura, Laurel Pellegrino, Anne E Ruble","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240045","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ruptures to the therapeutic alliance are an inevitable part of therapy. The ability to repair these ruptures is an essential therapist skill. Racial, ethnic, and cultural differences between therapists and patients can increase the likelihood of rupture to the therapeutic alliance, potentially leading to unilateral treatment termination by patients. Therapists therefore need skills to work effectively with patients who have diverse, intersectional identities. In this article, the authors give therapists tools to help protect against ruptures and to repair ruptures when they occur by integrating three complementary models: taking a stance of cultural humility to decrease assumptions, identifying and directly broaching cultural topics, and implementing a six-stage cultural repair model. A case example is used to illustrate these tools and techniques in practice. These skills can improve collaboration and decrease the inherent power imbalance in the therapeutic relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"119-123"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143123625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jenna A Park, Daniel J Gottlieb, Bradley V Watts, Vincent Dufort, Jamie L Gradus, Brian Shiner
{"title":"Comparing Suicide Rates for Cognitive Processing Therapy Versus Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.","authors":"Jenna A Park, Daniel J Gottlieb, Bradley V Watts, Vincent Dufort, Jamie L Gradus, Brian Shiner","doi":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240035","DOIUrl":"10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20240035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to compare suicide mortality rates for patients receiving two evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) protocols for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Suicide mortality was measured among U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs patients with PTSD who received EBP from 2009 through 2019. Regional variation in delivering CPT versus PE was leveraged as an instrumental variable (IV) to compare suicide mortality by using standard adjustment and IV-based analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 62,686 patients received EBP for PTSD; 82.4% were male, and the mean±SD age was 46.9±14.4. Patients were followed for a median of 6 years, and there were 136 deaths by suicide (38.3 and 32.4 per 100,000 person-years among the CPT and PE groups, respectively). The regional rate of CPT versus PE delivery was a strong IV that had greater explanatory power for the type of EBP received than all patient factors combined. The standard adjustment model for CPT produced a hazard ratio of 1.25, whereas the reduced-form IV produced a hazard ratio of 1.22. The probit IV, in which relevant covariates were updated annually, produced an odds ratio of 0.99. The time-to-event IV produced a hazard ratio of 1.20. The differences were not significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>No statistically significant difference was found between CPT and PE in the outcome of death by suicide. More effective interventions that result in higher remission rates would likely need to be developed to achieve a relative decrease in suicide risk through PTSD treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":46822,"journal":{"name":"AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTHERAPY","volume":" ","pages":"96-102"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12167692/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143606626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}