Active Analytic Psychotherapy: Definition, History, and References
Active Analytic Psychotherapy is an approach to psychotherapy that is based on psychoanalytic principles. It is an integration of psychoanalytic and experiential psychotherapeutic techniques which emphasizes the patient’s active involvement in the therapeutic process. It is a short-term, goal-oriented therapy that engages the patient in a creative dialogue with the therapist. The goal of active analytic psychotherapy is to help the patient to gain insight into his or her current psychological issues and to develop new tools for dealing with them.
Definition
Active Analytic Psychotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach which combines psychoanalytic and experiential techniques, emphasizing the patient’s active participation in the therapeutic process. It is a short-term, goal-oriented therapy that engages the patient in a creative dialogue with the therapist. The therapist helps the patient to identify and understand the sources of their psychological issues, develop new tools and insights for dealing with them, and make necessary changes in their life.
History
Active Analytic Psychotherapy was developed in the late 1980s by Dr. Arnold Goldberg, a psychoanalyst and psychotherapist. Dr. Goldberg was an advocate of an active, interactive approach to psychotherapy, and sought to develop an approach that would combine the benefits of psychoanalytic insight with the immediacy of experiential techniques. He developed a dynamic, active approach that would help the patient to gain insight into his or her psychological issues more quickly and effectively than traditional psychoanalytic approaches.
In the 1990s, Dr. Goldberg continued to refine and develop his approach, and it has been adopted by many therapists and practitioners. Active Analytic Psychotherapy has been used to treat a variety of psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.
References
Goldberg, A. (1989). Active analytic psychotherapy: A dynamic approach to therapeutic change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 26(3), 581-593.
Goldberg, A. (1995). Active analytic psychotherapy. In A. S. Gurman & S. B. Messer (Eds.), Essential psychotherapies: Theory and practice (2nd ed., pp. 637-664). New York: Guilford Press.
Goldberg, A. (2005). The active analytic approach: Integrating psychoanalytic and experiential techniques. In A. S. Gurman & S. B. Messer (Eds.), Essential psychotherapies: Theory and practice (3rd ed., pp. 637-662). New York: Guilford Press.
Gurman, A. S., & Messer, S. B. (Eds.). (1995). Essential psychotherapies: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Gurman, A. S., & Messer, S. B. (Eds.). (2005). Essential psychotherapies: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.