Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy

Domain I · Psychodynamic & depth psychology · Strupp, Binder, Hanna Levenson · 1984

What it is

Time-limited dynamic psychotherapy (TLDP) is a brief, interpersonal–relational psychodynamic therapy. It was developed in the Vanderbilt II research programme for people with chronic, long-standing relationship difficulties. The problem is located in recurring transactions between people, not…

Format

• Format. Individual, weekly, face-to-face (or video), with sessions of about 50 minutes.
• Session count.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Using this as a debating exercise. Keep it experiential.
• Repeated flooding. Reconsider suitability for TLDP, or stabilise first.
• Self-consciousness. Offer it as an experiment, and drop it if it doesn't land.
• Merging, or performing empathy. It is working when the client softens and discloses more.
• Compliant agreement (check with 4.10). Resonance means it is working; the client elaborates.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.