The Practice of Supportive Psychotherapy

Summary: Supportive psychotherapy (SP) is possibly the most ubiquitously used psychotherapy but is less researched. Since the beginning, compared to other psychotherapies, it is considered as an “inferior” therapy and is referred to as “Cinderella of Psychotherapies,” which can be used in multitude of clinical scenarios and settings. It can not only be used in outpatient setting but can be used inpatient setting, emergency setup, and consultation-liaison psychiatry setting including medical inpatient and outpatient setups. In terms of client selection, SP is mostly used as an exclusion form of therapy, i.e., clients who are not suitable for other forms of therapy, they are considered for SP. Accordingly, it can be understood as a kind of psychotherapy, which is flexible, can fit and address the needs of a wide range of clients with different diagnoses. Further, it is also often used as the initial form of therapy, before the therapist shifts to a more structured and sophisticated form of psychotherapy. Accordingly, it can be said that the basic principles of SP are at the heart of all doctor–client relationships and all forms of psychotherapies.

Authors: Sandeep Grover, Ajit Avasthi, Mukesh Jagiwala

Year of Publication: March-2020