Managing the Melting Pot: How to be a Psychodynamic Therapist in a CBT Practice
I recently was privy to an interesting conversation involving a psychodynamically-oriented clinician looking to join a new group practice — a place where one can participate in didactics, receive supervision, and be fed patients through a steady stream of referrals. Much to his chagrin, the only open jobs in his area were in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices that weren’t necessarily aligned with his interests. The advice given to him by a few of his peers was to lie and say that he’s CBT-oriented to get the job, then practice whatever therapy he wanted in the privacy of the therapy room. I’m sure his story is shared by many others, especially those who would prefer to explore a niche theory uncommon among the majority of mental health practitioners.
So, you need a job — the kids are hungry, the rent needs to get paid — but you cringe at the thought of sitting through a group supervision where your peers discuss core beliefs, homework, and breathing exercises. Often the culture of psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapists is that of silent suffering; they feel the need to hide and practice in secret, fearing the scorn and derision of so-called scientifically validated modalities only to feel that same scorn and derision against them in return. We live like the ancestors of our beloved “Jewish…
