Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Clerkship Director, University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.
Associate Director for Residency Education and Director of Psychotherapy Training at the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Psychodyn Psychiatry. 2021 Winter;49(4):562-590. doi: 10.1521/pdps.2021.49.4.562.
Supportive psychotherapy interventions were developed as a part of psychodynamic psychotherapy work, and supportive psychotherapy was historically considered to be the default form of therapy only for lower-functioning patients. These roots unfortunately have resulted in supportive psychotherapy being viewed as an inferior form of treatment. In reality, supportive psychotherapy is a practical and flexible form of psychotherapy that helps patients with a wide range of psychiatric illnesses, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and substance use disorders. In addition, supportive psychotherapy can be well-suited to higher-functioning patients, as well as to patients who are chronically lower-functioning. There is also evidence to support the use of supportive psychotherapy in patients with certain medical illnesses, including coronary artery disease, some gastrointestinal illnesses, HIV infection, and certain types of cancer. The goals of supportive psychotherapy include helping patients to understand emotional experiences, improving affective regulation and reality-testing, making use of their most effective coping strategies, and engaging in collaborative problem solving to reduce stressors and increase effective engagement with support systems.
支持性心理治疗干预措施是作为心理动力学心理治疗工作的一部分发展起来的，支持性心理治疗在历史上被认为是仅适用于功能较低的患者的默认治疗形式。这些根源不幸导致支持性心理治疗被视为一种较低级的治疗形式。实际上，支持性心理治疗是一种实用且灵活的心理治疗形式，可帮助患有多种精神疾病的患者，包括情绪障碍、焦虑障碍、创伤后应激障碍、精神分裂症、人格障碍、饮食障碍、体象障碍和物质使用障碍。此外，支持性心理治疗也适合功能较高的患者，以及慢性功能较低的患者。还有证据支持在某些患有特定疾病的患者中使用支持性心理治疗，包括冠心病、某些胃肠道疾病、HIV 感染和某些类型的癌症。支持性心理治疗的目标包括帮助患者理解情感体验、改善情感调节和现实检验、利用他们最有效的应对策略以及进行协作性问题解决以减少压力源并增加与支持系统的有效互动。
