Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)

What is ISTDP (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy)?

A treatment helpful for people who just find it hard to understand why they are experiencing certain psychological difficulties, such as anxiety and/or fear, depression.

ISTDP believes that difficulties come about from feelings that have become unconscious, because they are too painful or have too much associated anxiety to face.

The therapy is intensive to help you go past the barriers in your mind.

Who is Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) for?

ISTDP is for anyone wanting to:

• better understand, recognise, cope with & manage, your distress and emotions linked to painful events
• live life better in the moment
• change their problems in living
• aim for being able to feel joy in your life
• prepared to work out with, a compassionate and respectful therapist, who can challenge you to look at underlying strong, emotional, unconscious issues.

One to one ISTDP sessions

Our Clinical Psychologists offering ISTDP aim to help build a good working relationship with you so that you can share your true experiences and feelings with your therapist.

As Clinical Psychologists are trained in other therapies too, the therapy offered can be agreed with you after the getting-to-know-you stage. For example, you may agree on a course of ISTDP first/with solution focussed work to reach your life goals (when you are ready for that).

Do I need a diagnosis to have Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)?

No, you don’t need to have any diagnosis.

People with one or more diagnoses have found ISTDP life-changing.

A diagnosis could be Emotionally Unstable Personality (EUPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Borderline Pattern. The model was developed by Dr. Habib Davanloo. It was designed originally to treat individuals with character difficulties (i.e., Personality Disorder). but is now being used more widely.

Our Clinical Psychologist have experience in offering Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).

Training to be a Clinical Psychologist covers a number of approaches; many go on to even further training after that. Our Clinical Psychologists provide that specialist input which is known to help people with many different difficulties.

Your Clinical Psychologist will help you look at different aspects of yourself that you want to change and to work out the best, individually tailored, route of how to get there.

This may involve using Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).

What does Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) help with?

Research evidence shows that Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) can help many people with different difficulties.

Research is being published showing its effectiveness.

Our clinical psychologists are trained and experienced

Your Clinical Psychologist will help you look at different aspects of yourself that you want to change and to work out the best, individually tailored, route of how to get there. This may involve using stand alone therapies or in combination.

How do I make an appointment?

We currently have appointment slots available, mostly online, with some face to face same-room appointments in certain parts of the country.

To see one of our Clinical Psychologists, do make contact using the green button or call to help us fix a good day and time for you.

Please keep an eye out for our email reply, in case it goes into your spam/junk box.

Please click here to see our Clinical Psychologists you could work with.

Dr Nina Shergill, Consultant Clinical Psychologist.

Dr Kate Littler, Clinical Psychologist

We also have colleagues offering Experiential Dynamic Therapy (EDT) including Dr Amy Elliot