ISTDP UK - Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy

Background

ISTDP was developed during the 1960s and 1970s by Habib Davanloo, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst from Montreal who grew frustrated with the length and relatively limited efficacy of psychoanalysis. ISTDP applies his clinical interpretations and techniques while incorporating insights from interpersonal neurobiology and affective neurosciences.

In the U.K. there is a tradition of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy dating back to the brief therapy workshops at the Tavistock Clinic initiated by Michael Balint in the 1950s. David Malan became part of this group and his subsequent work has done much to advance the understanding and application of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. David Malan collaborated with Davanloo in the development of ISTDP and Malan’s influence continues to be highly influential in the development of ISTDP in the U.K.

While ISTDP shares roots with classical psychoanalysis, it also differs in important ways. The ISTDP therapist is an active advocate of change rather than a neutral observer. Instead of making interpretations, the therapist relies on non-interpretive techniques including encouragement to feel; challenge to take responsibility to change; and confrontation of resistance to change.

“ISTDP is a form of Experiential Dynamic Therapy which is the general term for methods derived from Davanloo's original technique. It is the experiential element that differentiates these approaches from other short-term dynamic therapies.”
Dr David Malan, Consultant Psychiatrist