Creating a Psychodynamic Therapy Treatment Plan: What to Include + Example

Psychodynamic therapy is an approach that was heavily influenced by the original teachings of Sigmund Freud. Since then, this approach has been influenced by the work of others, including Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson, Wilhem Reich, Heinz Kohut, Melanie Klein, and more. Keep reading to learn about creating a Psychodynamic Therapy treatment plan, including an example with elements you can add to your treatment plan.

Psychodynamic therapy is typically a long-term therapeutic approach that can be used to better understand your client’s unconscious mind and how this affects their current behaviors. You may find yourself exploring their unconscious thoughts, desires, and memories. Unresolved conflicts are an additional topic frequently explored. Psychodynamic therapy can take place over one or more years, which is a key factor to consider when exploring this treatment option with your clients.

This therapeutic approach can be used with clients experiencing a range of mental health disorders and concerns. This includes conditions like anxiety, depression, psychosomatic disorders, some personality disorders, panic disorders, eating disorders, and chronic illnesses.

For more valuable resources, view our Psychodynamic Therapy Tools and Resources hub

Setting Goals and Objectives With Clients in Your Psychodynamic Therapy Treatment Plan

The first step is to ensure that your client understands the long-term nature of psychodynamic therapy. Some may have concerns about committing to a long-term treatment, or have concerns resulting from session caps noted within their health insurance plan. Before you begin creating your treatment plan, you can review the documentation you have on your clients thus far. This can include referral paperwork, self-assessments, and intake assessments in some cases.

TherapyByPro is a leading resource for mental health professionals that offers a range of worksheets that can be incorporated into individual and group therapy sessions. Reviewing this before you set your goals and plans can help you brainstorm ways to incorporate this tool into your sessions. Examples of psychodynamic therapy worksheets you may want to consider include:

• Psychodynamic Worksheet Bundle
• Psychodynamic Therapy Relationship Mapping Worksheet
• Psychodynamic Therapy Exploration of Experiences
• Psychodynamic Therapy Defense Mechanism Awareness Worksheet   

What to Include in a Psychodynamic Therapy Treatment Plan + Sample

We will spend the remainder of our time focusing on how to write a treatment plan for psychodynamic therapy. Our work will be guided by the customizable treatment plan available for mental health professionals through TherapyByPro. You can also review their available therapeutic worksheets to familiarize yourself with options that could be worked into later sections of your treatment plan. Continue reading to learn about our hypothetical case example for John.

John’s Story:

John is a 34-year-old software engineer who has sought treatment for depression. John’s intake forms indicated that he began experiencing depressive symptoms one year ago, and that they are present most of the day, every day. He reported that he has been struggling with a low mood, apathy, loss of interest in his hobbies, poor concentration, and has been living with a sense of worthlessness and guilt. John indicated that he has been struggling with low self-esteem, which has contributed to social isolation. He speculated that his sleep disturbances have exacerbated his symptoms, further intensifying his symptoms.

John shared that he did not have an ideal childhood, and that his relationship with his parents was hot and cold. He indicated that they would praise him when he reached a milestone or was acknowledged for an accomplishment, but that he felt invisible on an everyday basis. He noted that his mother relied on him emotionally, which impacted his ability to ask for help during moments of hardship. John noted that he has had serious relationships in the past, but that he struggles to provide partners with a close emotional connection that they have wanted.

John shared that he feels stuck at his current place of employment, noting that he has been passed over for two promotions in the past year by individuals he feels are less qualified than he is. This has led to feelings of bitterness, which have impacted his desire to attend social events with his colleagues. John denied experiencing suicidal ideation and noted that he has never sought mental health support before. His primary care physician recommended that he consider therapy during his annual physical after learning about his difficulties with his mood. 

Agencies Involved and Plans for Care Coordination

For this case, it would be appropriate to coordinate care with his primary care physician, as this was his referral source. We encourage you to ensure that you have the proper consent for release before initiating contact.

Example for John:

Care Coordination: Dr. Smith, Primary Care Physician (123)456-7890

Clinical Diagnoses

Based on the information shared, John is experiencing Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Supporting evidence for this diagnosis includes a loss of interest in enjoyable activities, sleep disturbances, fatigue, a sense of worthlessness and guilt, and impaired concentration. His symptoms are not the result of other mental health disorders or substance abuse.

Examples for John:

Clinical Diagnosis: Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent, Moderate 296.32

Current Medications and Responses

Based on the information shared, John has not received treatment for his mental health conditions. It would be appropriate to refer him for a psychological assessment and evaluation, exploring the use of medications to address his symptoms. If he were to begin taking medications, you can update this section of your psychodynamic therapy treatment plan accordingly.

Example for John:

Current Medications: None at this time

Presenting Problem and Related Symptoms

The presenting problem section of your psychodynamic therapy treatment plan allows you to provide a case conceptualization that supports your clinical diagnosis and upcoming treatment plan goals and objectives. This section should support the goals that will be presented in the next section of your treatment plan and your use of psychodynamic therapy.

Example for John:

Presenting Problem: John is a 34-year-old male presenting with Major Depressive Disorder. John reported experiencing persistent low mood, diminished interest in activities, fatigue, early morning awakening, impaired concentration, feelings of worthlessness, and social withdrawal. These symptoms began to emerge one year ago and have caused significant distress in his professional and personal areas of life. There is no indication of substance abuse, underlying medical conditions, or previous manic episodes.

John’s description of his childhood and early childhood experiences indicated a history of emotional neglect and a repeated pattern of conditional parental approval. He indicated that his father is typically critical of him and that he experienced a parentified dynamic with his mother, which contributed to emotional suppression. As an adult, John has struggled to develop close and meaningful relationships with romantic partners.

Psychodynamic therapy will be used to learn more about how his depressive symptoms are rooted in unresolved attachment wounds from childhood and other unconscious conflicts related to dependency and autonomy. Examples of his apparent defense mechanisms include repression and avoidance of affect, which have impacted his ability to create emotional connections with others. 

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives in your treatment plan should be specific to your client, their struggles, and their capabilities. These goals should align with the framework of the theoretical approach being used, in this case, psychodynamic therapy. Treatment plans can be modified at a later date to reflect progress made in treatment.

Example for John:

Goal 1: Increase Insight Into Unconscious Emotional and Interpersonal Patterns

• Objective 1: John will identify and discuss two recurring patterns in his relationships that contribute to his depressive symptoms. 
• Objective 2: John will explore his early childhood experiences and how they have impacted his current emotional experiences.
• Objective 3: John will make the connection between his emotional responses to unresolved conflicts from his past and process these connections in session.

Goal 2: Reduce the Use of Defense Mechanisms

• Objective 1: John will identify two of his commonly used defense mechanisms.
• Objective 2: John will try using new ways of expressing his thoughts and emotions in the session using effective communication skills.
• Objective 3: John will reduce his use of avoidance behaviors, such as social withdrawal, and process his experiences in session.  

Goal 3: Improve Interpersonal Functioning and Decrease Unhealthy Relationship Patterns

• Objective 1: John will identify two fears or beliefs about intimacy and vulnerability that affect his relationships with others.
• Objective 2: John will explore how previous relationships in his adult life replicate early attachment experiences from his childhood.
• Objective 3: John will identify and implement one interpersonal boundary or relational change to improve interpersonal functioning.

Specific Interventions to Be Used

You can then identify specific interventions that can be used to support your treatment goals and objectives. The TherapyByPro treatment plan template allows you to make a note of who would be responsible for accomplishing this task.

Example for John:

Intervention 1: Free association

Responsible Person: Counselor A and John

Intervention 2: Interpret repeated relationship patterns

Responsible Person: Counselor A and John

Intervention 3: Confrontation for discrepancies, defenses, and avoidance behaviors he may be unaware of

Responsible Person: Counselor A

Intervention 4: Transference analysis

Responsible Person: Counselor

Intervention 5: Working through

Responsible Person: Counselor A and John

Family Involvement

At this time, it does not appear that it would be helpful to include his family members in sessions. Should this change, you can adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

Example for John:

Family Involvement: None at this time

Additional Services and Interventions

Based on the symptoms discussed, it would be appropriate to refer John for a psychiatric assessment to explore the potential use of medications to help manage his symptoms.

Example For John:

Additional services: Psychiatric assessment with Dr. Johnson, (123)456-7890

Estimation for Completion 

As noted above, psychodynamic therapy tends to be a long-term treatment approach. You can adjust this section of your treatment plan as needed throughout John’s treatment experience. 

Example for John:

Estimated Time for Completion: One year, to be adjusted as needed

Aftercare Plans

The aftercare section of your treatment plan should provide personalized recommendations in the event of an early discharge. This could occur for several reasons, which is why this is an important section to include. You can make a note of local treatment providers and other mental health resources within your client’s community that could support them.

Example for John:

Aftercare Plans: Meet with Primary Care Physician and for a referral to a mental health provider in his community.

Final Thoughts On Creating a Psychodynamic Therapy Treatment Plan 

Thank you for taking the time to read our article. We hope that this psychodynamic therapy treatment plan example provides you with insight into how to create a personalized treatment plan with the TherapyByPro template. Psychodynamic therapy can be an effective treatment option for depression and depressive disorders. This approach can help you and your client get to the root causes of their symptoms, which can improve their self-awareness. With more awareness, they can implement healthy emotion regulation skills, which can reduce the use of maladaptive defenses and improve other areas of life.

If you would like to learn more about using psychodynamic therapy in your clinical setting, we encourage you to explore available continuing education and training experiences. 

View all of our Psychodynamic Therapy Worksheets

Resources:

• Opland C, Torrico TJ. Psychodynamic Therapy. [Updated 2024 Sep 2]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK606117/