Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Learning Disability: Theory and Practice Revisited

Abstract

Despite evidence that psychodynamic psychotherapy can be successfully applied to people with learning disabilities, it is hardly ever available in standard practice. Most specialist services for people with learning disabilities have no access to a qualified therapist, and adult psychotherapy departments refuse to see such patients or supervise staff who are willing to engage in this work, claiming a lack of knowledge of learning disabilities. As the National Health Service is moving further towards cost-effective treatments, individuals with learning disabilities will on the one hand become increasingly unable to access diverse treatment modalities, and on the other limited treatment options will hinder research into the efficacy and suitability of such treatments for this population. This paper is a brief review of our current knowledge on the application of psychodynamic psychotherapy in the field of learning disabilities and aims at opening up the debate within the framework of evidence-based practice in mental health.