Psychological Therapies

Psychological therapies are focused on revealing the unconscious content of a patient’s psyche to alleviate psychic tension—inner conflict created in extreme stress or emotional hardship, often in a state of distress. Psychological therapies have been used for adjustment disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but more often for personality disorders. Techniques draw on the theories of Freud, Melanie Klein, and object relations theory proponents. Some psychodynamic therapists also draw on Carl Jung or Jacques Lacan. It’s used in individual and group psychotherapy, family therapy, and to understand and work with institutional and organizational contexts. Two branches:

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy or Psychodynamic Therapy (which relies of psychoanalytical theory)requires substantially shorter treatment periods than traditional psychoanalytical therapies. Studies on the specific practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy suggest that it is evidence-based. It relies on a strong patient-therapist relationship built heavily on trust.
• Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy or Psychoanalytic Therapy:  In contrast, the methods used by psychoanalysis lack high-quality studies, which makes it difficult to assert their effectiveness.