The below bibliography is a list of references and research on evidence-based psychodynamic psychotherapy that is dynamically generated from my personal library as it continues to grow. Here are “three simple things to do, starting today, that will help you sift truth from hyperbole” in your decision-making about real-world psychological help (Shedler, 2015, p. 58):
When somebody makes a claim for the benefit of a treatment, any treatment, follow these three simple steps:Step 1: say, “Show me the study.” Give me a reference, a citation, a PDF. Put the study into my hands. Sometimes it does not exist.
Step 2: if the study does exist, read it—especially the fine print.
Step 3: draw your own conclusion. Ask yourself: do the actual methods and findings of this study justify the claim I just heard?If you make a practice of following these steps, you may make some shocking discoveries.”
Dr. Mark Ettensohn, a Licensed Psychologist in nearby Sacramento, CA, provides an accessible summary of the effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy based on a literature review of over 200 studies providing evidence supporting the effectiveness and efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy .
Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Literature
Abbass, A. A., Kisely, S. R., Town, J. M., Leichsenring, F., Driessen, E., De Maat, S., Gerber, A., Dekker, J., Rabung, S., Rusalovska, S., & Crowe, E. (2014). Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies for common mental disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 7. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004687.pub4
Abbass, A., Luyten, P., Steinert, C., & Leichsenring, F. (2017). Bias Toward Psychodynamic Therapy: Framing the Problem and Working Toward a Solution. Journal of Psychiatric Practice®, 23(5), 361–365.
Alekseenko, I. F. (1975). [Fractional identification of proteins of erythrocyte hemolysate subjected to disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel]. Zdravookhranenie Kirgizii, 5, 35–36.
American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice. (2006). Evidence-based practice in psychology. American Psychologist, 61(4), 271–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.271
Blagys, M. D., & Hilsenroth, M. J. (2000). Distinctive Features of Short-Term Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Psychotherapy: A Review of the Comparative Psychotherapy Process Literature. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7(2), 167–188. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.7.2.167
Burbridge-James, W., & Iwanowicz, M. (2018). Psychotherapeutic interventions and contemporary developments: common and specific factors. BJPsych Advances, 24(1), 54–65. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2017.24
Burkeman, O. (2016, January 7). Therapy wars: The revenge of Freud. The Guardian.
Byrne, G., & Egan, J. (2018). A Review of the Effectiveness and Mechanisms of Change for Three Psychological Interventions for Borderline Personality Disorder. Clinical Social Work Journal, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-018-0652-y
Capaldi, II, V. F., & Hafter Gray, S. (2011). [Review of the book psychodynamic therapy: A guide to evidence-based practice by R. F. Summers & J. P. Barber]. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 39(3), 576–580. https://doi.org/10.1521/jaap.2011.39.3.573
Carr, G. D. (2011). Psychotherapy research: Implications for practice. Psychiatric Times, 28(8), 31–31.
Clarkin, J. F., Levy, K. N., Lenzenweger, M. F., & Kernberg, O. F. (2007). Evaluating three treatments for borderline personality disorder: A multiwave study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(6), 922–928. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2007.164.6.922
Cohen, J. N., McElhaney, R., & Jensen, D. (2018). The Empirical Examinability of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Reply to Hoffart and Johnson. Clinical Psychological Science, 216770261775188. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617751887
de Maat, S., de Jonghe, F., Schoevers, R., & Dekker, J. (2009). The effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy: A systematic review of empirical studies. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 17(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10673220902742476
Diener, M. J. (2017). Evidence-Based Psychodynamic Therapy Seminar. TZK Seminars.
Diener, M. J., & Pierson, M. M. (2013). Technique and therapeutic process from a supportive-expressive relational psychodynamic approach. Psychotherapy, 50(3), 424.
Diener, M. J., Hilsenroth, M. J., & Weinberger, J. (2007). Therapist affect focus and patient outcomes in psychodynamic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164(6), 936–941.
Doering, S., Hörz, S., Rentrop, M., Fischer-Kern, M., Schuster, P., Benecke, C., Buchheim, A., Martius, P., & Buchheim, P. (2010). Transference-focused psychotherapy v. treatment by community psychotherapists for borderline personality disorder: Randomised controlled trial. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 196(5), 389. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.109.070177
Egger, N., Konnopka, A., Beutel, M. E., Herpertz, S., Hiller, W., Hoyer, J., Salzer, S., Stangier, U., Strauss, B., & Willutzki, U. (2015). Short-term cost-effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder: results from the SOPHO-NET trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 180, 21–28.
Fonagy, P. (2015). The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapies: An update. World Psychiatry, 14(2), 137–150. PMC. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20235
Fonagy, P., Rost, F., Carlyle, J., McPherson, S., Thomas, R., Pasco Fearon, R. M., Goldberg, D., & Taylor, D. (2015). Pragmatic randomized controlled trial of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression: The Tavistock Adult Depression Study (TADS). World Psychiatry, 14(3), 312–321. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20267
Gaskin, C. (2012). The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy: A systematic review of recent international and Australian research. Melbourne: PACFA.
Gelso, C. J., Latts, M. G., Gomez, M. J., & Fassinger, R. E. (2002). Countertransference management and therapy outcome: An initial evaluation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(7), 861–867.
Gerber, A. J., Kocsis, J. H., Milrod, B. L., Roose, S. P., Barber, J. P., Thase, M. E., Perkins, P., & Leon, A. C. (2011). A quality-based review of randomized controlled trials of psychodynamic psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.08060843
Gibbons, M. B. C., Gallop, R., Thompson, D., Luther, D., Crits-Christoph, K., Jacobs, J., Yin, S., & Crits-Christoph, P. (2016). Comparative effectiveness of cognitive therapy and dynamic psychotherapy for Major Depressive Disorder in a community mental health setting: A randomized clinical noninferiority trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(9), 904–912. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1720
Glasserman, E. I., & Finch, E. F. (2017). Borderline Personality Disorder: Treatment Resistance Reconsidered. PSYCHIATRIC TIMES.
Harvard Medical School. (2010). Merits of psychodynamic therapy. Harvard Mental Health Letter, 27(3), 1–3.
Hayes, J. A., Gelso, C. J., & Hummel, A. M. (2011). Managing countertransference. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022182
Hilsenroth, M. J., Blagys, M. D., Ackerman, S. J., Bonge, D. R., & Blais, M. A. (2005). Measuring Psychodynamic-Interpersonal and Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques: Development of the Comparative Psychotherapy Process Scale. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(3), 340–356. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-3204.42.3.340
Huber, D., Zimmermann, J., Henrich, G., & Klug, G. (2012). Comparison of cognitive-behaviour therapy with psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapy for depressed patients–a three-year follow-up study. Zeitschrift Für Psychosomatische Medizin Und Psychotherapie, 58(3), 299–316.
Improve Your Practice. (2016). Psychodynamic therapy. Improve Your Practice: The Therapeutic Relationship, Psychotherapy and Client Outcomes. Implications for Adult Community Mental Health Services under a New Mental Health Act for Victoria.
Johnsen, T. J., & Friborg, O. (2015). The effects of cognitive behavioral therapy as an anti-depressive treatment is falling: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 141(4), 747–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000015
Kaplan, A. (2011). Psychodynamic psychotherapy. Psychiatric Times, 27(12).
Kivlighan Jr, D. M., Hill, C. E., Gelso, C. J., & Baumann, E. (2016). Working alliance, real relationship, session quality, and client improvement in psychodynamic psychotherapy: A longitudinal actor partner interdependence model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 63(2), 149.
Kivlighan Jr, D. M., Gelso, C. J., Ain, S., Hummel, A. M., & Markin, R. D. (2015). The therapist, the client, and the real relationship: An actor–partner interdependence analysis of treatment outcome. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 62(2), 314.
Kuutmann, K., & Hilsenroth, M. J. (2012). Exploring in‐session focus on the patient–therapist relationship: Patient characteristics, process and outcome. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 19(3), 187–202.
Lasher, M. P., Webb, J. R., Stinson, J. D., & Cantrell, P. J. (2017). Addressing Social Anxiety Concurrently With Prison-Based Sex Offender Treatment: A Case of Individual Needs in an Era of Manualized Treatment. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 23(3), 271–282.
Laska, K. M., Gurman, A. S., & Wampold, B. E. (2014). Expanding the lens of evidence-based practice in psychotherapy: A common factors perspective. Psychotherapy, 51(4), 467–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034332
Lazar, S. G. (2014). The cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy for the major psychiatric diagnoses. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 42(3), 423–457. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2014.42.3.423
Leichsenring, F. (2001). Comparative effects of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in depression: a meta-analytic approach. Clinical Psychology Review, 21(3), 401–419.
Leichsenring, F., & Leibing, E. (2003). The effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of personality disorders: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(7), 1223–1232. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.160.7.1223
Leichsenring, F., & Rabung, S. (2008). Effectiveness of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy: A meta-analysis. JAMA, 300(13), 1551–1565. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.300.13.1551
Leichsenring, F., & Rabung, S. (2011). Long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in complex mental disorders: update of a meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(1), 15–22.
Leichsenring, F., Rabung, S., & Leibing, E. (2004). The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy in specificpsychiatric disorders: a meta-analysis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61(12), 1208–1216.
Leichsenring, F., Luyten, P., Hilsenroth, M. J., Abbass, A., Barber, J. P., Keefe, J. R., Leweke, F., Rabung, S., & Steinert, C. (2015). Psychodynamic therapy meets evidence-based medicine: a systematic review using updated criteria. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(7), 648–660.
Leichsenring, F., Salzer, S., Beutel, M. E., Herpertz, S., Hiller, W., Hoyer, J., Huesing, J., Joraschky, P., Nolting, B., & Poehlmann, K. (2014). Long-term outcome of psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in social anxiety disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(10), 1074–1082.
Leichsenring, F., Leweke, F., Klein, S., & Steinert, C. (2015). The Empirical Status of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - An Update: Bambi's Alive and Kicking. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 129–148. https://doi.org/10.1159/000376584
American Psychological Association. (2012). Recognition of Psychotherapy Effectiveness. In APA Council of Representatives Policy Manual. APA.
Levy, R. A., & Ablon, J. S. (Eds.). (2009). Handbook of evidence-based psychodynamic psychotherapy: bridging the gap between science and practice. Humana Press.
Levy, K. N., Ehrenthal, J. C., Yeomans, F. E., & Caligor, E. (2014). The efficacy of psychotherapy: Focus on psychodynamic psychotherapy as an example. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 42(3), 377–421. https://doi.org/10.1521/pdps.2014.42.3.377
Luyten, P., Blatt, S. J., & Fonagy, P. (2013). Impairments in Self Structures in Depression and Suicide in Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral Approaches: Implications for Clinical Practice and Research. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 6(3), 265–279. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2013.6.3.265
