How psychologists learn to practise psychodynamic psychotherapy

This article presents a theory about how psychologists learn to practice psychodynamic psychotherapy. Previous research has sought to standardise teaching practices and identify core competencies of the approach that practitioners should be able to demonstrate. However, there is a notable absence of hearing from those who both learn and teach the model, which would help to better understand the actual process of how this complex approach is assimilated by practitioners, and thereby enhance training practice and maximise competence and proficiency in the approach. Constructivist grounded theory is used to formulate a process of learning, centred on the core concepts of a journey to an alien land, and the kinds of nourishment and dependency necessary to navigate this terrain. In relation to existing research, recommendations for trainees and trainers are offered to guide academic practice.