Jonathan Shedler

Shedler's 2010 article "The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy," published in American Psychologist, is his most widely cited work. It reviewed meta-analytic evidence showing that psychodynamic therapy is effective and that patients often continue to improve after treatment ends.

Shedler argued that psychodynamic psychotherapy produces effect sizes comparable to or exceeding those reported for cognitive-behavioral therapy. He also highlighted evidence that patients in psychodynamic treatment show continued gains after therapy concludes, a phenomenon he attributed to insight and structural personality change.

The SWAP is a personality assessment tool developed by Shedler and psychologist Drew Westen that uses clinician observations to evaluate personality patterns and disorders. It was designed as an empirically grounded alternative to the categorical personality diagnoses in the DSM.

Yes, Shedler has argued that the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy has been systematically underreported in academic literature and clinical training programs. He has been critical of what he sees as the disproportionate promotion of cognitive-behavioral therapy in evidence-based practice guidelines.