Principles of Supportive Psychotherapy

The process of psychotherapy is a complex and multifaceted interaction between the patient and the therapist. The individual instance must be tailored to the idiosyncratic needs of the patient, as well as the personality and skills of the therapist. However, the conceptual understanding of the therapeutic process can aid in selection of the individual interventions and to this end, this paper conceptualizes the process of psychotherapy as occurring on a spectrum ranging from expressive techniques at one end to primarily supportive techniques at the other. Although there are overlapping similarities in the process at the midpoint of the spectrum, the degree to which clear conceptual understanding of the differences in these approaches is maintained can assist the therapist in achieving the goals established at the beginning of the treatment experience.