The Efficacy of Psychoanalytic Therapy: The Talking Cure in the Era of Evidence-Based Practice

Psychoanalytic therapy is an evidence-based treatment. Effect sizes are as large as those of other therapies that are actively promoted as “empirically supported” and “evidence-based,” and patients who receive psychoanalytic therapy not only maintain therapeutic gains but continue improving after treatment ends. Research also shows that other forms of therapy may be effective largely because the more skilled practitioners incorporate (often unacknowledged) psychodynamic methods. Jonathan Shedler, PhD, will discuss the seven key features of contemporary psychodynamic treatment in clear, jargon-free language, the scientific evidence for its efficacy, and how it compares to other “evidence-based” treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressant medication.