Reconsidering Graduate Training and Clinical Practice: The Importance of Psychodynamic Thinking

Figures & data

Table 1. PDM-2 capacities for mental functioning (Lingiardi & McWilliams, 2017).

Cognitive and Affective Processes	Identity and Relationships	Defense and Coping	Self-Awareness and Self-Direction
Capacity for regulation, attention, and learning	Capacity for differentiation and integration (identity)	Capacity for impulse control and regulation	Self-observing capacities (psychological mindedness)
Capacity for affective range, communication, and understanding	Capacity for relationships and intimacy	Capacity for defensive functioning	Capacity to construct and use internal standards and ideals
Capacity for mentalization and reflective functioning	Capacity for self-esteem regulation and quality of internal experience	Capacity for adaptation, resiliency, and strength	Capacity for meaning and purpose

Table 2. Council on Social Work Education’s nine core competencies (Council on Social Work Education, 2015).

Nine Core Competencies in Social Work Education

1. Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior. 2. Engage diversity and difference in practice. 3. Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice. 4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice. 5. Engage in policy practice. 6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. 7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Table 3. Categories from MSW program syllabi (Berzin & O’Connor, 2010, pp. 241–242).

Clinical Interventions	Mental Health and Learning Disability	Clinical Practice
Clinical Groups (36) Crisis Intervention (27) Meditation (17) Case Management (16) Home Visits (16) Solution-Focused Therapy (15) Social Skills Training (15) Grief Work (10) Play Therapy (7) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (6) Bibliotherapy (2) Psychoeducation (1)	Substance Abuse (25) Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (18) Self-Harm/Suicide (18) Learning Disabilities (15) Pervasive Developmental Disorders (12) Depression (10) Oppositional Defiant/Conduct Disorder (10) Anxiety (7) Eating Disorders (4) Mental Illness (2)	Resiliency (10) Termination (4) Self-Care (3) Transference/ Countertransference (1)

Table 4. Evidence that indicates efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Panic Disorder, Social Phobia, and Anxiety	Mental Health and Social Adjustment	Post-Traumatic Stress	Borderline Personality Disorder	Eating Disorders and Bulimia	Substance Disorders	Depression
Milrod, Busch, Cooper, and Shapiro (1997) Leichsenring, Hiller, Weissberg, and Leibing (2006)	Abbass, Hancock, Henderson, and Kisely (2006)	Schottenbauer, Glass, Arnkoff, and Gray (2008)	Bateman and Fonagy (2004) Clarkin, Yeomans, and Kernberg (2006) Clarkin, Levy, Lenzenweger, and Kernberg (2007) Gibbons, Crits-Christoph, and Hearon (2008) Levy et al. (2006) Meares (2012)	Levine and Mishna (2007) Leichsenring et al. (2006)	Leichsenring et al. (2006)	Leichsenring et al. (2006) Driessen et al. (2013)

Table 5. Evidence that indicates efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy for somatoform disorders.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome	Dyspepsia	Chronic Pain	Unexplained Symptoms
Creed et al. (2003) Guthrie, Creed, Dawson, and Tomenson, (1993) Syedlund, Sjodin, Ottosson, and Dotevall (1983)	Faramarzi et al. (2013) Hamilton et al. (2000)	Mosen and Monsen (2000)	Schaefert et al. (2013)

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