Question 1

What is psychodynamic psychotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a depth-oriented approach focused on your unique story, your relationships, your past, and your emotional world. Unlike quick-fix therapies, it explores how earlier experiences, such as childhood relationships, shape your current feelings and behaviours. The goal is to help you better understand yourself, not to be told what to do, but to be deeply heard.

Question 2

How is psychodynamic psychotherapy different from CBT or DBT?

Accepted Answer

While CBT, DBT, and psychoanalysis are all well-known therapy types, psychodynamic psychotherapy is not about labels or quick fixes. It centres on your personal history and emotional life, exploring the deeper roots of your difficulties rather than only managing symptoms or changing specific thought patterns.

Question 3

What role does the therapeutic relationship play in psychodynamic therapy?

Accepted Answer

The therapeutic relationship is central to psychodynamic psychotherapy. It provides a space where you can bring whatever you are feeling and be met with calm, skilled attention. The therapist listens beyond the words, to tone, emotions, and even what is not said, creating a careful, non-judgmental environment where lasting change begins.

Question 4

What does attachment-informed mean in psychodynamic therapy?

Accepted Answer

Psychodynamic work is deeply attachment-informed, meaning it explores how early relational experiences shape the way we connect with others, protect ourselves, and feel in the world today. Understanding these early patterns is a key part of the therapeutic journey.

Question 5

What kind of training does a psychodynamic therapist undergo?

Accepted Answer

Becoming a psychodynamic therapist involves deep personal and clinical training. Alan Archibald holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy from the University of Essex and completed clinical training at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, with experience in the NHS, university counselling, and private practice.

Links to Mental Health and Wellbeing Sites