You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
I approached this book under a misapprehension. Having recently completed my medical (psychodynamic) psychotherapy training within an NHS setting in which longer term treatments were rare to come by and in which 16 sessions of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy was often the limit with even severely unwell patients, I was seeking further guidance on how best to maximise every moment of this time. I was attracted therefore by this book, whose title promised to deliver wisdom regarding the ‘core competencies’ in brief dynamic psychotherapy, and even on ‘becoming a highly effective and competent Brief Dynamic Psychotherapist’. I was therefore a little taken aback when I discovered that the ‘Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy’ in the title was in fact referring to a very particular manualised model of psychotherapy previously developed and described by one of the authors (Binder, 2004). I was somewhat reluctant to read on, as I already felt at saturation point with three-letter acronym models of therapy (CBT,CAT, DBT, TFT, MBT, DIT and so on) and didn’t particularly want to digest the manual of another. However, I’m glad that I did, for the authors set out their integrative model with clarity and detail. Those looking for a checklist of competencies with detailed breakdown of the requirements for different levels of proficiency will not find this here. Instead, the ‘core competencies’ are gradually discussed throughout the text in an integrated manner as the authors go through what they consider the key components of the therapeutic process. I found this interesting and genuinely thought provoking in helping me reflect upon the process and rationale of my own practice, both in brief and longer term psychodynamic psychotherapy cases.
In terms of the book’s structure, after a chapter on the definition, development and importance of competencies in general, and a preview of competency areas in BDP, the authors go on to provide a conceptual overview of their BDP model. They then pro