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[riptide]

I am looking for a therapist who is interested in talking about how the past effects the present, focuses on feelings, and pays attention to transference, resistance, and the "therapeutic alliance."  I want to explore myself.  Also, I want someone that can understand the academic lifestyle and the insanity of it.

So, I was directed to an LMFT, twice. Both with years of experience and claimed to be trained in psychodynamic methods.
The experiences were horrible.  In both cases, I thought the LMFT was unprepared, disorganized, and more like a life coach or occupational therapist focusing on changing things, like my career (after I have a PhD!) than looking at life patterns, feelings, etc.   I felt that there was NO exploration of self.

So, my general question is:
Are LMFT actual therapists trained in psychodynamic theory and practice, or other?   
What about LCSW? 
Or are psychologists the ones trained for this type of work?

If I want to explore the self, where do I turn?

[msparticularity]

My best experiences on that score were with a LCSW and a Jungian psychologist. However, LCSWs vary considerably--they, too, may be far more focused upon life management skills given the usual training. Truly, it just seems to take awhile sometimes to find the right match--especially for the kinds of work you'd like to do, I would think.

[oldfullprof]

My therapist is a PhD psychologist who's Jungian/Rogerian.  The danger with psychologists (from my point of view) is that too many are cognitive/behaviorists.  LMFTs or LPCs are usually not very smart, so if you are, it may not work out.  MSWs can be like MFTs, but it's a two year masters as opposed to one, so they're often better.  (I studied to be an MFCC [CA] for a year, so I'm  being hypocritical.)

[emblem]

While the type of therapy you are looking for can definitely be worthwhile for growth as a human being, etc., there is no empirical evidence that the type of therapy you are looking for actually works for treating any sort of specific problem (e.g., depression, anxiety, OCD, etc.). As a result, good clinical psych phD programs rarely focus on those methods today, and insurance companies are becoming less and less willing to pay for them. I'm not sure about MSW and MFT programs, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are similar, especially since those programs are so much shorter. My advice would be to look for someone who is older, as they would be the most likely to have had training in the type of therapy you are looking for. I would also suggest asking them about their perspective and philosophy upfront. A good therapist should be very willing to share this with you. As msparticularity said, it most likely will take a while to find the right fit. Good luck in finding what you need!