Deliberate practice exercises help trainees and students achieve competence in essential psychodynamic therapy (PDT) skills and apply them in a range of clinical situations using a style and language that is congruent with who they are.



These exercises present role-playing scenarios in which two trainees act as a client and a clinician, switching back and forth under the guidance of a supervisor. The clinician improvises appropriate and authentic responses to client statements organized into two difficulty levels- intermediate and advanced- that reflect common client questions and concerns.



Each of the first 12 exercises focuses on a single skill, such as engaging in a therapeutic inquiry, deepening emotional experience, pointing out defenses, making transference interpretations, and providing a corrective emotional experience. Two comprehensive exercises follow in which trainees integrate these essential skills into a single psychodynamic psychotherapy session.



Step-by-step instructions guide participants through the exercises, identify criteria for mastering each skill, and explain how to monitor and adjust difficulty. Guidelines to help trainers and trainees get the most out of training are also provided.





AUTHORS



Hanna Levenson, PhD, is Professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California. She also maintains a private practice in Oakland where she sees individuals and couples for therapy and professionals for consultation/supervision. Dr. Levenson has specialized in brief dynamic therapy and supervision for 40 years. She has authored over 85 professional papers and three books (Time Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy, Brief Dynamic and Interpersonal Therapy, and Brief Dynamic Therapy, Second Edition) and has released five professional videos with APA illustrating her approach. Dr. Levenson received the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology as a Profession Award given by the California Psychological Association.



Volney Gay, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at Vanderbilt University and a Training and Supervising Analyst at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. He has published nine books on religion, psychiatry, and anthropology. Dr. Volney has won teaching awards from McMaster University and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; the Heinz Hartmann Award from the New York Psychoanalytic Institute; the Outstanding Service Award from the American Psychoanalytic Association; and was named Distinguished Psychoanalytic Educator, International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education. His most recent book is American Slavery: Privileges and Pleasures (2021).



Jeffrey L. Binder, PhD, ABPP, is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Vanderbilt University. He maintains a private practice of psychotherapy and clinical supervision. Dr. Binder has authored or coauthored over 45 articles and book chapters on psychotherapy practice, research, and supervision, as well as three books on a form of time-limited therapy developed with Hans Strupp: Psychotherapy in a New Key: A Guide to Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy, Key Competencies in Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy: Clinical Practice Beyond the Manual, and Core Competencies in Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy. Dr. Binder is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.



Series Preface

Tony Rousmaniere and Alexandre Vaz

Acknowledgments



Part I: Overview and Instructions

Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview of Deliberate Practice and Psychodynamic Therapy
Chapter 2: Instructions for the Psychodynamic Therapy Deliberate Practice Exercises


Part II: Deliberate Practice Exercises for Psychodynamic Therapy Skills Exercises for Intermediate Psychodynamic Therapy Skills

Exercise 1: Engaging in a Therapeutic Inquiry
Exercise 2: Therapist Awareness (Interactive Countertransference)
Exercise 3: Deepening Emotional Experience
Exercise 4: Making Process Comments
Exercise 5: Pointing Out Defenses
Exercise 6: Introducing the Treatment Rationale Exercises for Advanced Psychodynamic Therapy Skills
Exercise 7: Making Transference Interpretations
Exercise 8: Using Metaphors
Exercise 9: Exploring Fantasy
Exercise 10: Gathering Data for the Cyclical Maladaptive Pattern
Exercise 11: Using Supervision to Recognize Reenactments
Exercise 12: Providing a Corrective Emotional Experience Comprehensive Exercises
Exercise 13: Annotated Interpersonal-Psychodynamic Practice Session Transcript
Exercise 14: Mock Psychodynamic Sessions


Part III: Strategies for Enhancing the Deliberate Practice Exercises

Chapter 3: Additional Guidance for Trainers and Trainees: How to Get the Most Out of Deliberate Practice


Appendix A: Difficulty Assessments and Adjustments

Appendix B: Deliberate Practice Diary Form

Appendix C: Sample Psychodynamic Syllabus With Embedded Deliberate Practice Exercises

References

About the Authors

Index