Psychoanalytic psychotherapy in Denmark: development, implementation in the public health service and present status

Abstract

The history of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy in Denmark is briefly described. An important element in developing the psychodynamic thinking in the public mental health service took place in the 1970s where several British psychoanalysts and group analysts helped Danish therapists and analysts starting regular courses in psychoanalytic psychotherapy that were attended by a few hundred psychologists and psychiatrists. The implementation of psychodynamic thinking and practice in the Mental Health System followed over the next two decades, although the Danish welfare system did not economically support patients referred to psychoanalysis, long-term or intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy. At the new millennium, opposition to psychoanalysis and psychodynamic thinking made it difficult to sustain the relative high level of involvement of psychodynamic practice in both mental health institutions and private practice. The reasons for this are suggested as well as comments on the future.

Keywords:

• psychodynamic psychotherapy
• institutes of training
• research
• future of psychoanalytic paradigm
• short-term psychotherapy

Acknowledgements

A thank for helping remarks from Stig Poulsen, Carsten René Jørgensen, Hans Henrik Jensen, Rikke Bøye, and Anette Davidsen.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Ebbe Linnemann, John Vitger, Thøger Harder (in the east of Denmark), and Harry Stockholm, Torben Bendix, Margit Fischer (in the west of Denmark).

2. Lise Rafaelsen, Gerda Winther, Karen Vibeke Mortensen).

3. The reader must have in mind that Denmark is a small country with 5,5 million inhabitants, where public transportation, even at that time, could bring you from east to west within five hours.

4. Malcolm Pines, Colin James, Jonathan Pedder, Lisbeth Hearst, Harold Behr, Meg Sharpe – and outside this group: Murray Cox and Murray Jackson.

5. Led by the psychologists Lise Rafaelsen, Gerda Winther, Birgitte Bechgård, Vibeke Nathan, Søren Aagaard, Bente Thygesen.

6. initiated by Ebbe Kyst, Anne Lindhardt, Søren Aagaard and Bente Thygesen.

7. by Torben Bendix (Aarhus), Bonne Rasmussen (Copenhagen) and later Lars Thorgaard.