Clinical Psychology

therapeutic alliance. Research evidence and the man-
aged care environment should lead more and more

psychodynamic clinicians to use brief, manual-based

forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

KEY TERMS

anal stageThe psychosexual stage that extends
from about 6 months to 3 years of age,
during which the child focuses on urination
and defecation as means of satisfaction.

analysis of dreamsA psychoanalytic
technique that attempts to shed light on
unconscious material. Because dreams are
regarded as heavily laden with unconscious
wishes in symbolic form, the analysis of dreams
is believed to provide important clues to these
wishes.

brief psychotherapyPsychotherapy of relatively

brief duration that has grown in popularity due in

large part to the cost-containment measures

imposed by health care systems. Many brief

therapies have retained a psychodynamic identity.

catharsisThe release of psychic energy (achieved

by reliving traumatic events) believed by psycho-

analysts to have important therapeutic benefits.

death instincts (Thanatos)The innate drives

that are responsible for all of the negative or

destructive aspects of behavior.

Looking back, what activities or experiences were

the most important for you in your graduate

school program.

Writing a grant was fundamental for me. I was thrilled

that it was funded, but simply the process of writing it

pushed me to greatly clarify my research ideas. After I

wrote it, I felt confident designing other studies. I

started to visualize more clearly what my own inde-

pendent program of research would look like. Now, I

see myself as a capable researcher, though I am con-

tinually learning more and more.

Any additional hints for those trying to make it

through graduate school in clinical psychology?

Clinically, I think it’s important to remain open and

give respect to all of the great ideas present in our

field. From my point of view, no orientation is wrong,

and no orientation has it perfectly figured out for

every client. Plus, writers from various orientations

are often talking about the same thing, just with

different names. I feel like my growth as a clinician

has been entirely dependent on learning about

psychotherapy from a variety of viewpoints and

seeking to be thoughtful in how integration might

be supportive in helping facilitate change for my

clients.

In terms of research, the secret is to do as much as

you possibly can and be continually vigilant for oppor-

tunities that can further your thinking and/or train you

in new, useful modalities.

Joseph E. Beeney

Joseph E. Beeney

PSYCHOTHERAPY: THE PSYCHODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE 367