Show Notes for The Aspiring Psychologist Podcast Episode 154: What is ISTDP? The Therapy That Transforms Emotional Healing

This episode is a fascinating exploration of how ISTDP offers a pathway to deeply transformative emotional work, encouraging both clients and practitioners to unlock their potential. Dr. Marianne Trent dives deep into Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Suzanne Brown. They explore how ISTDP addresses underlying emotional conflicts to alleviate mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. Dr. Brown shares her journey with ISTDP, its transformative potential, and the profound impact it can have on emotional healing.

Guest:

• Dr. Suzanne Brown – Clinical Psychologist with extensive experience in ISTDP, sports psychology, and embodied therapy practices.

Key Takeaways:

• ISTDP’s Approach to Therapy: Understanding the significance of unconscious conflicts, feelings, and defenses that drive behaviours and impact mental health.
• Two Key Triangles: Dr. Brown discusses the “triangle of person” and the “triangle of conflict” to map therapeutic progress.
• Importance of Therapist Self-Work: Dr. Brown emphasises the necessity of therapists undergoing their own therapeutic work to offer authentic, effective support.
• Emotional Fitness in Sport: How ISTDP principles apply to high-performance athletes, helping them manage emotions and improve focus.
• ISTDP in Practice: Techniques like videotaping sessions for supervision to refine therapeutic skills and build self-awareness.

Highlights:

(00:00) – Introduction to ISTDP and today’s guest, Dr. Suzanne Brown.
(01:46) – Dr. Brown’s background and career journey, including her work in sports psychology.
(05:27) – Overview of ISTDP and the importance of addressing unconscious feelings and defences.
(08:07) – Dr. Trent and Dr. Brown discuss their experiences with the ISTDP triangles and formulation in therapy.
(12:35) – The role of trial therapy in ISTDP and working through compliance, defiance, and dependency.
(17:17) – Dr. Brown on the importance of therapist authenticity and human connection.
(22:04) – The role of personal therapy and supervision in a therapist's growth.
(24:28) – Handling transference and countertransference with clients.
(31:12) – How ISTDP techniques can help athletes manage stress and anxiety.
(36:12) – Portrait exercises in ISTDP to help clients face intense feelings.
(37:17) – Recommended resources for learning about ISTDP, including books and training opportunities.
(40:31) – Closing thoughts from Dr. Brown on embodied therapy and upcoming workshops.

Links:

📲 Connect with Dr Suzanne Brown here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsuzannebrown/ https://www.emotionallyconnected.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/emotionallyconnected/

🖥️ Check out my brand new short courses for aspiring psychologists and mental health professionals here: https://www.goodthinkingpsychology.co.uk/short-courses

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📚 To check out The Clinical Psychologist Collective Book: https://amzn.to/3jOplx0

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📱Connect socially with Marianne and check out ways to work with her, including the Aspiring Psychologist Book, Clinical Psychologist book and The Aspiring Psychologist Membership on her Link tree: https://linktr.ee/drmariannetrent

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What is ISTDP? The Therapy That Transfor...