Mastering the ISTDP Trial Therapy: 17th Halifax Immersion in ISTDP

Intensive Short–Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) begins with an intensive and comprehensive evaluation and treatment session called the Trial Therapy. The Trial Therapy seeks to establish both a conscious and unconscious therapeutic alliance, gather a complete history of problem areas, past and present relationships, and related medical and social factors, while testing a client’s response to this therapeutic mobilization of the unconscious. By the end of the interview, therapist and patient should both have information about the suitability of this treatment, and what format of the treatment may be most beneficial. The trial therapy is typically conducted in one session, but sometimes over more than one session.

Based on a study of several hundred Trial Therapies, we have found that the Trial Therapy is effective in reducing symptoms and interpersonal problems, and also effective in reducing excess healthcare use. There is evidence that it is beneficial in the hands of new learners, and that is more effective than standard psychiatric intake interviews.

In this Immersion in ISTDP, Dr. Allan Abbass and colleagues will provide a detailed video–based study of a series of Trial Therapies from across the two spectra of patients. Hence, we will look at entire Trial Therapies of patients with low–to–moderate resistance, and high resistance, as well as patients who suffer from repression and significant fragility. The goal of this course is to assist attendees to master the understanding of the functions and processes involved in the Trial Therapy to help build momentum from the very first session of their treatment courses.