Brief Inpatient Psychotherapeutic Technique

Trainees rotate onto the medical psychiatric inpatient unit at Massachusetts General Hospital every 6 weeks to learn how to conduct brief inpatient psychotherapy from two staff psychologists and one staff psychiatrist. This article focuses on four key therapeutic principles/techniques used when teaching these trainees about brief inpatient psychotherapy. These include support, affective experience and expression, chain analysis, and identification of relational styles/maladaptive relational patterns. We also briefly discuss our approach to training. Theoretical rationale, numerous clinical examples, and empirical support (of inpatient psychotherapy) are provided.