The Use Of Psychodynamic Concepts In Consultation-Liaison-Psychiatry

This article describes some specific aspects of the psychotherapeutic work with the medically ill. The presence of a suffering body, the triadic relationship between patient, physician and CL-psychiatrist/psychologist and the need for therapeutic flexibility are characteristics of the CL-setting and call for specific therapeutic concepts. Approaches such as the Auxiliary Ego for patients with a tendency to express their psychological distress through the body, as well as the Psychodynamic Life Narrative for patients with a certain degree of introspectiveness and suffering from severe somatic diseases are very useful for this specific setting. An active engagement of the CL-Clinician is necessary for working with both concepts.