Intensive Dynamic Psychotherapy (IDP) Training
Conference Description
This course provides an in-depth introduction to Intensive Dynamic Psychotherapy (IDP), a treatment model rooted in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) but adaptable across various therapeutic modalities, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and more. IDP is based on and maintains the core principles of ISTDP while integrating techniques that enhance its application in different clinical contexts.
At its foundation, IDP is based on the understanding that unconscious feelings generate anxiety, which in turn triggers defenses that sustain psychological symptoms. The therapeutic task involves identifying and addressing these defenses, restructuring, increasing affect tolerance, and helping patients face and process underlying emotions that have long been avoided. By doing so, patients experience structural character change and symptom relief.
Originally developed by Habib Davanloo, M.D., ISTDP introduced non-interpretive interventions that help patients develop self-observation, tolerate anxiety, relinquish defenses, and access core emotional conflicts. IDP uses this foundation, emphasizing flexibility in technique to align with different therapeutic models while maintaining a focused, experiential approach to deep emotional work.
Through a combination of lecture, discussion, clinical case review, role play, skill-building, and video-recorded patient sessions, students will learn:
Relational techniques for strengthening the therapeutic relationship
Experiential techniques for accessing and working through core affective experiences
How to read nonverbal body cues and track unconscious anxiety discharge pathways
How to diagnose defenses and resistances in real time
Moment-to-moment psychodiagnosis to determine when and how to intervene effectively
How to adapt IDP principles to various therapeutic models, enhancing effectiveness across diverse clinical approaches
How to identify their own defenses against learning
This course is designed for clinicians and trainees seeking to enhance their clinical effectiveness by deepening their understanding of unconscious processes, resistance, and the therapeutic use of emotional experience—while maintaining flexibility in their therapeutic approach.
This course will include an experiential component in which students will engage in reflective practices to identify and monitor their own defensive processes and anxiety responses as they relate to learning. This self-observational work is designed to deepen students’ emotional awareness, enhance their capacity for affect tolerance, and promote greater openness to the learning process.
Presenter Biography
Michelle M. May, LPC, is the chair of the Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) Core Training program at the New Washington School of Psychiatry in Washington, DC.
She is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in intensive dynamic therapy with a private practice for adult individuals and couples in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, DC. She is a Certified Teacher and Supervisor by the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association (IEDTA) and a board-approved supervisor with the state of Virginia. She is a sought-after teacher and supervisor, specifically focusing on presenting to practices and supervising licensed clinicians with an interest in intensive dynamic therapies.
Michelle is also the author of the new book, What I Couldn’t Tell My Therapist.
Michelle is passionate about educating professionals and the public about intensive dynamic therapy and provides trainings to health practices, organizations, and universities seeking to learn about mental health and intensive dynamic therapies.
Course Specifics
CEs
36. (Partial CEs are not available. While MDs can attend, CEs are not available for MDs.)
Cost
$1440. Payment plans are available upon request.
Location
Zoom
Date/Time
September 9, 2025 - December 9, 2025
Target Audience
Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, MFTs, Psychiatrists, Nurses
Course Content Level
Beginner
Learning Objectives
Describe the relationship between anxiety, defenses, and symptoms.
Describe the difference between triggers, feelings, anxiety, defenses, and outcomes.
Describe the Triangle of Persons.
Identify the six components of a complete Conscious Therapeutic Alliance.
Identify which specific Triangle of the CTA the patient is in and which corner of that Triangle they occupy.
Describe common defenses that create barriers to conscious therapeutic engagement.
List the three components of emotions.
List the different types of anxiety.
Describe how the three anxiety types appear in the body.
Describe the difference between anxiety signals of tension in the striated muscles, smooth muscles, and cognitive-perceptual disruption.
Employ evaluative skills to determine when a patient's anxiety is over threshold.
Employ evaluative skills to determine when to mobilize feelings rather than regulate anxiety.
Describe three ways to regulate anxiety.
Describe the purpose of defenses.
Describe how defenses and anxiety lead to presenting symptoms.
List at least three different types of defenses.
Describe the Triangle of Conflict and Triangle of Person.
Identify and describe all three pathways of unconscious anxiety discharge.
List the Six Triangles of the Conscious Therapeutic Alliance.
Recognize and describe five different defenses.
Describe the function and cost of defenses to a client.
Describe the process of therapist-patient collaboration to help defenses from syntonic to dystonic.
Identify and recognize barriers to emotional closeness.
Describe techniques to help patients overcome barriers to intimacy in current and transference relationships.
Explain and discuss the importance of assessing patient barriers to emotional closeness.
Describe the concept of repression as one of three systems of resistance.
Identify the various patient signaling indicating repression as a system of resistance.
Describe two techniques to address repression.
Describe the concept of fragility as one of three systems of resistance.
Describe three primitive defenses.
Describe two techniques to address primitive defenses.
Define the concept of emotional breakthrough and identify clinical markers indicating its approach.
Describe consolidation and it’s importance to the therapeutic process
Identify ways to support integration of emerging feelings and insights.
Describe the steps of defense clarification.
Describe three ways to regulate client anxiety.
Class Dates and Times
Time:
5pm - 8pm ET (Except for the first class which runs from 5pm – 9pm ET)
Dates:
September 9, 2025 (5pm – 9pm ET)
September 16, 2025
September 23, 2025
September 30, 2025
October 7, 2025
October 21, 2025
October 28, 2025
November 4, 2025
November 11, 2025
November 18, 2025
December 2, 2025
December 9, 2025
FAQs
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You need to be a student, pre-licensed professional (resident), or licensed medical or mental health professional to attend.
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No.
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Yes. All classes must be paid for to sign up for the training.
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No.
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No.
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Yes. 36 CEs are available. If you are a medical professional, unfortunately you can’t receive these CEs.
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No.
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Yes.
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This will be an online training via Zoom.
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No. Due to sharing video tapes of session content, only health professionals-in-training or health professionals can join.
Additional Information
Conflicts of Interest: There is no known commercial interest or conflict of interest for this program.
Cancellation Policy: If for any reason you need to cancel, please contact me so we can work together to determine a resolution.
Grievance Policy: We seek to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances fairly. Please email me with your written grievance. Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action to prevent further problems.
ADA Needs: If you have any special requests, please email Michelle at maymichellem@gmail.com
CE and Commercial Support: Michelle M. May, LPC, LLC nor CUE Management Solutions, LLC does not have a relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.
Continuing Education: CUE Management Solutions, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CUE Management Solutions, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
CUE Management Solutions, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0242.