Supportive psychotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach which integrates components from various schools of psychotherapy to provide therapeutic support including from psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, and interpersonal conceptual models and techniques.

Supportive psychotherapy aims to reduce or to relieve the intensity of manifested or presenting symptoms, distress or disability. It also reduces the extent of behavioural disruptions caused by the patient’s psychic conflicts or disturbances. The objective of the therapist is to reinforce the patient’s healthy and adaptive patterns of thought behaviours to reduce the intrapsychic conflicts that produce symptoms of mental disorders. 

Unlike in psychoanalysis, in which the analyst works to maintain a neutral demeanour as a “blank canvas” for transference, in supportive therapy, the therapist engages in a fully emotional, encouraging, and supportive relationship with the patient as a method of furthering healthy defence mechanisms, especially in the context of interpersonal relationships.

Applications

Supportive psychotherapy has been used for patients suffering from severe cases of addiction as well as bulimia nervosa, stress and other mental illnesses. It is used as initial therapy, to be reduced and not to be prolonged, in situations or periods where there is a lack of means for a systematic approach or behaviourism. Examples of such situations include:

• Critical Negotiations
• Volatile but unavoidable everyday life or decisive situations
• Compromises (to introduce at least minimal operational, efficient relationship conditions) in long term, engaged relationships, based on lasting agreements

Note: This course is adapted and excerpted from “Basic Principles of Supportive Psychotherapy” American Psychiatric Press Inc