Faculty Advisor\u27s Column

The teaching of the concepts and techniques of dynamic psychotherapy to residents is a formidable task facing most all residency directors and faculty. The challenge of \u27new\u27 therapies and the revolution in neurobiology has led to a significant deemphasis in dynamic training in many programs in recent years. Where once there was relative uniformity of philosophy, a variety of approaches now abound. Medical school graduates can choose from programs that offer intensive training in psychoanalytic psychiatry as well as those that mention Freud only in passing. Most call themselves \u27eclectic\u27 and teach a potpourri of therapies that vary with faculty interest. Graduates of all these programs become psychiatrists though their clinical experiences and expertise may differ widely. The array of approaches available often leaves the prospective patient (and third party payers) bewildered