Supportive Psychotherapy

Supportive psychotherapy (SPT) is a form of psychological treatment in which a care provider collaborates with a patient to help maximize his or her level of psychosocial functioning and adaptation to his or her current situation. Unfortunately, SPT is often limited to use by psychiatrists within psychiatric settings, even though patients with medical illness also benefit significantly from these interventions. There is arguably a need to incorporate training in brief SPT techniques into general medical education as learning to provide support to patients and help them function to the best of their ability during difficult times is an important part of the role that all physicians should be prepared to provide for their patients. This review contains 4 figures, 3 tables, and 45 references. Key words: alliance, boundaries, coping, empathy, frame, psychotherapy, relationships, supportive