ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys and critically assesses the development of time-limited psychotherapy, which is important for understanding current practice, including TAPP. Discussion of foundational approaches associated with the work of Malan, Balint, Sifneos, Mann, Davanloo, Strupp and Binder identify similarities and differences between these approaches, and the establishment of parameters for brief therapy: aims, selection of suitable patients, focus, techniques and how to handle termination. This leads to a discussion of current practice which is influenced by theoretical developments originating in psychoanalysis and long-term therapy, notably within relational approaches. Whilst the implications of these have not, as yet, been fully discussed in the literature, they open the possibilities for new approaches to psychodynamic brief therapy. The emphasis on process models, in which therapeutic change involves engagement with the nature of the relationship itself and consists of processes of creating meaning, leads to narrative transformations and the development of symbolic capacity. The implications of these developments will be further discussed in the chapters discussing the practice of TAPP.
