INTENSIVE SHORT TERM DYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY (ISTDP)
Do you strive to be more effective as a therapist? Do you want to build your skills to be optimally responsive to your patients' therapeutic needs? Want to learn assessment and intervention skills that can improve outcomes and reduce dropout? ISTDP is an evidence-based therapy model that offers an attachment-focused system of assessment and intervention that can help you increase your attunement and effectiveness with a wide range of patients.
The focus on attachment and response-to-intervention in ISTDP training helps therapists to: (1) Identify and address interpersonal avoidance behaviors that can block therapy success (2) Identify and address a wide range of anxiety responses so that patients can gain the courage to face what they usually avoid; and (3) Help even the most fragile clients to build their capacity to overcome avoidance and anxiety so they can experience and learn from their emotions and memories
ISTDP has been shown to be uniquely effective with treatment-resistant and somatoform conditions, and has been found to be cost-effective, with shortened treatment lengths, across a wide range of conditions. Graduates of our program report that they not only learned theory and skills; they became more effective because they were helped to integrate the model with their own personal strengths and style.
About Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
Origins
Developed by Habib Davanloo, MD in the 1960’s, the theory and technique of ISTDP have been refined and elaborated by later generations of his students around the world. The efficacy of ISTDP has been widely researched and demonstrated with a variety of disorders. All ISTDP therapists understand that a patient’s problems result from defenses that arise in response to the anxiety that is coupled with unconscious feeling. The goal of therapy is to help the patient develop the ability to attend to internal experiences in order to regulate anxiety and turn against maladaptive defenses. This allows unconscious emotions to emerge, become integrated, and pave the way for consistent, unfettered access to motivational feelings.
Community
The Washington School of Psychiatry ISTDP Program is one of a few programs worldwide to teach this approach. The foremost clinician-researchers of ISTDP are frequent guest lecturers in the WSP program. Our program has become a leading center for the study of ISTDP and the program’s dedicated students and graduates form a community of supportive and interdependent co-learners.
Program Information
Learning Outcomes
First Year
Upon completion of the ISTDP - Year 1, students will be able to:
- Conceptualize cases within the ISTDP model
- Distinguish between feeling, anxiety and defense
- Apply basic techniques for anxiety regulation, defense clarification, and facilitation of the emergence of unconscious feeling
Second Year
Upon completion of the ISTDP - Year 2, students will be proficient in ongoing psychodiagnosis and in systematically building ego adaptive capacity in fragile, depressed and somatizing patients.
Third Year
Upon completion of the ISTDP - Year 3, students will be able to:
- Identify the superego pathology of highly resistant patients
- Block and dismantle character defenses and transference resistance
Curriculum
First Year
Basic principles of ISTDP theory:
- Anxiety assessment and regulation
- Defense identification and restructuring
- Identification of unconscious emotions
- Eliciting and elaborating feeling experience
- Maintaining therapeutic focus and building the alliance
- Assessing and building will and motivation for change
- Dismantling resistance
- 'Working through' in ISTDP
- Variations of the ISTDP technique for special populations
Second and Third Year
Each three-day weekend will address one ISTDP concept and corresponding techniques. Examples of core training topics include:
- Psychodiagnosis – Moment-to-moment assessment of ego adaptive capacity and corresponding interventions
- Superego pathology – identification of malignant internalizations which create character defenses; assessment of their effect on ego functioning; and techniques for helping patients turn against these pathological forces
- Transference resistance – Techniques for handling defiant, passive, helpless, and uninvolved transference resistances
Schedule & Structure
WSP classes begin the week of September 19th.
First Year
The ISTDP program is a three-year certificate program. Students can opt to take just year-one or pursue the full three-year certificate. The ISTDP program’s emphasis on skill development makes it distinct among psychotherapy programs. Theory and technique are taught in tandem throughout the program. During The first year of the program students learn the metapsychology and techniques of ISTDP. Faculty share videos of their clinical work and utilize experiential teaching methods to engage students.
The first year class meets 20 times in the academic year on Fridays from 3:30 to 5:30PM. Small group consultative supervision follows from 5:45 to 6:45PM, 18 sessions per year.
Second and Third Year
The second and third year of the program emphasize technique and skill building. In-depth lectures and videotape demonstration are combined with role play and supervision of students’ videotaped sessions. Students present their clinical work to learn how to apply techniques across the spectrum patients.
Small group consultative supervision for second and third year students is held Fridays, 4:00 to 6:00PM, 10 sessions per year. The second-third year class meets for three 3-day core-training weekends.
Instructional Format
ISTDP will be 100% virtual and classes will be held synchronously via Zoom.
Students will need to ensure that their computer/laptop and web browser works with Zoom. Click here to learn more about Zoom compatibility requirements.
Students will be able to access course readings and syllabi via their program's Microsoft OneDrive. To successfully participate in courses, students need the following:
- Computer/Laptop with audio and visual capacity
- Basic technology skills (e.g., familiarity with powering the computer; typing; browsing the internet)
- Access to internet and Word Processing Software
Students will not need to have a Microsoft or Zoom account to join class meetings or access course files. However, faculty may require a password to access meetings or files. Please consult with your faculty to obtain access.
For technical assistance, please contact your faculty or you may contact the WSP Administrative Office by email at washschool@wspdc.org or by phone at 202-237-2700.
Supervision
First year students must attend 18 one-hour consultative supervision sessions per academic year.
Second year students must attend 10 two-hour consultative supervision sessions per academic year.
Continuing Education Credits
First Year
Pending approval, 60 CE credits will be available for the first-year program. Credits are awarded on a class-by-class basis with full attendance required for each class. Partial credit is not possible.
Students must provide "proof of presence" by ensuring that their camera is on during class.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded for each class attended.
Second and Third Year
Pending approval, 21 CE credits (per year) will be available for the second and third year students in the program. Credits are awarded for full attendance of the first day of each weekend unit. Partial credit is not possible.
Students must provide "proof of presence" by ensuring that their camera is on during class.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded for each unit attended.
*Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit.
Course Materials
Syllabi and Readings (password protected)
Faculty
Chairs
Michelle May, MA
Faculty
Jon Fredrickson, MSW
Timothy Freitas, PsyD
Margo Silberstein, EdD
Kessler Bickford, MA
Nyambura Kamau, MA
Nima Ghorbani, PhD
Stuart Andrews, PhD
Janet Merkel, PhD
Jack Tawil, MSW
Guest Faculty
Lisa Bendzsa, MA
Admissions
If you have any questions about the admissions process, please contact WSP by phone 202-237-2700.
Michelle May, MA
Program Email
Admission to the Program is by application and interview.
Application Deadline
Accepting Applications for Fall 2023
*After this date, admission will be considered on a space-available basis and is up to the faculty of each program.
Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all materials are received by the deadline. Applicants are encouraged to confirm receipt of their materials by contacting the WSP Administrative Office by phone 202-237-2700 or via email (washschool@wspdc.org). An incoming class is composed of a maximum of 10 students.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants should have interest in psychodynamic psychotherapy and:
- An advanced degree in a mental health field
- Experience conducting psychotherapy
- Training or education in psychodynamic psychotherapy
A license is not required for application to ISTDP.
Applicants will be contacted to arrange an interview with the program faculty.
Note: First year students will be asked by ISTDP faculty to complete a letter of intent to continue to second-third year by June 30th each year.
How to Apply
1. Apply for admission to the Washington School of Psychiatry with an online application.
2. Submit the following documents as separate pdf files in ONE email to application@wspdc.org.
- Current CV/Resume*
- Statement of Interest & Experience (1 page max)*
- Two Professional References*
*To learn more about requirements for the CV, Statement of Interest & Experience, and Professional Reference documents, including formatting, visit our admissions page.
Note: Applicants should include (YOUR LAST NAME)-(YOUR FIRST NAME)-(ISTDP PROGRAM) in the subject line. Please attach all items as PDFS.
3. Pay 50$ non-refundable fee at https://wspdc.org/home under the Make a Payment section.
The program is committed to fostering diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for students from various mental health professions and other fields.
Application Fee
$50 (non-refundable)
Program Deposit
$300 (applied towards tuition)
Tuition
First Year: $1,200
Second Year: $1,900
Third Year: $1,900
*Tuition payment installments may be arranged through the administrative office.
Limited scholarship money may be available, based on need and merit. Click here to apply.
Supervision Fees
Supervision fees are invoiced at the same time as tuition.
First year students must pay $40 per consultative group session. ($720 total)
Second and third year students must pay $80 per consultative group session. ($800 total)
Need More information?
To learn more about ISTDP, please contact one of our Chairs, Michell May, MA (michellemaylpc@hushmail.com).
ISTDP CLASS SITE
The Washington School of Psychiatry
5028 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 100 Washington, DC 20016-4118
Call us at 202-237-2700 or 202-537-6050
Celebrating its 85th year, the School is an accredited provider of post-graduate continuing education.
The Meyer Treatment Center provides low cost access to mental health services. It is an out-of-network facility for insurance purposes.
The Washington School of Psychiatry is an independent non-profit organization. It is not affiliated with the government of the District of Columbia or the government of the United States.
Copyright © 2020 The Washington School of Psychiatry - All Rights Reserved.
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