Main Counselling Theories and How They Work

Psychodynamic Theory 

The psychodynamic theory is a collection of psychological theories that emphasize the importance of forces and drives in human functioning. The theories show how unconscious drives in human beings are responsible for most of the behavior they exhibit (Martinsen et al., 2019). The psychodynamic theory affirms that actions are largely determined by the life experiences that one undergoes. This assertion is similar to that of behavioral theorists. The psychodynamic theory rests it’s on the assumption that all symptoms and behavior are not accidental but are determined by past experiences that one undergoes (Alessi, & Kahn, 2019). In this approach, childhood experiences are central to the adult personality and relationships that individuals form. The theory originates from the Freudian psychoanalytic theories and any other Freudian ideas such as those of Carl Jung, Erik Erikson, and Anna Freud (Martinsen et al., 2019). It is not only based on older theories but newer theories as well, such as the object relations theory.  

Psychodynamics was first introduced by Sigmund Freud, who observed that patients had psychological symptoms that had no biological basis. Although they consciously tried, to stop their symptoms, they were never able to stop (Glenn et al., 2019). He, therefore, reasoned that if the conscious will of the patient was not able to stop, then the symptoms must come from the unconscious hat he named psychodynamics (Glenn et al., 2019). The theory, being based form the basic tenets of the Freudian psychoanalytic theory, is at times used interchangeably to mean the other. However, the two theories have a basic difference; the psychodynamic theories do not borrow only from Freud’s theories but a combination of theories that borrow from his ideas while the psychoanalytic theory is purely Freudian (Glenn et al., 2019). The fact that many theories are encompassed in the psychodynamic theory makes some people refer to it as a perspective rather than an approach.  

Key assumptions of the theory are that most of the mental life is unconscious; thus, most of their feelings, emotions, and thoughts are unknown to them (Glenn et al., 2019). The other assumption is that the conflicting thoughts experienced by an individual towards another could be resulting from mental responses that are independent but parallel to each other. Proponents of this theory also assume that personality begins from early childhood, where it gets influenced by experiences such as the formation of social relationships (Martinsen et al., 2019). Personality development ranges from the regulation of sexual desires and aggressive drives to growing into a socially independent individual who can form an intimate relationship (Martinsen et al., 2019). They also assume that these social interactions are impacted by one’s mental understanding of their environment. 

The strength of this theory is that it looks at the impact of childhood events on adult personality while also accounting for the nurture/nature debt (Alessi, & Kahn, 2019). It also looks at the impacts of the unconscious mental processes, thus showing human beings can be influenced by the mental processes they are born with (Martinsen et al., 2019). The limitation of the theory is that it is seen to be too deterministic thus sort of disregards the existence of free will. This, therefore, means that behavior is pre-determined (Cabaniss et al., 2019). Another weakness is that the theory is unfalsifiable, thus unscientific since most of the Freudian theories were based on single case observations (Martinsen et al., 2019). Such theories are difficult to test, such as the unconscious mind.  

Summary 

Joe, a fifteen-year-old student in high school, came to the office for counseling. He is overweight, of normal height and has never had an appointment with a counselor before. The presenting problem for him is the anxiety he feels when he begins wondering if there is something wrong with him. He also explains that he has problems getting along with his family and constantly fights with his siblings. This happened after his parents divorced, and he remained with his father. He gets to visit his mother as much as he likes but still finds grief in this. He affirms that he believes everyone is critical of him. After having an in-depth conversation with him, he discloses that he has suicidal ideations and has the means to accomplish it. He seems distracted and wanders off while talking. He explains that he just bought a packet of razor blades that he plans to use.  

Since Joe has never had an appointment with a counselor nor disclosed his feelings to anyone, he has not had a chance to be screened and diagnosed. His relationship with his family and siblings puts much stress on him and has brought him depression. He also feels grief about his parents’ divorce and believes that he might have had something to do with it. Since their divorce, he has been eating compulsively, thus his evident overweight. He finds that talking to his siblings or father about his predicament will make him look weak. He has no hobbies, no friends, and is socially withdrawn. Unlike most young boys of his age, Joe has never had a dated anyone.  

Goals of Therapy 

Goals and goals setting in therapy is a helpful way to achieve desired client results. Therapists and clients need to set goals that will ensure they move systematically towards the realization of clients’ desired goals. The goal of any therapy is to remedy the conditions that the client faces and is not able to consciously tackle by themselves while also helping them accept that which cannot be changed (Sharpless, 2019). Goals need to be realistic and achievable to ensure the client and therapists do not go too much out of their way to achieve them. Goals need to be systematic, meaningful, action-oriented, rewarding, and time-bound (Alessi, & Kahn, 2019). They should inspire the client to attain them to be able to see the results that will inspire them. Setting smart goals for clients both in school and those out of school gives individuals engagement and agency to their improvement. Human beings struggle in life to maintain and relations with one another while also differentiating themselves from others (Sharpless, 2019). This forms the basic goal for most people as they have the internal idea of self and others that is created during childhood year.   

Generally, psychodynamic therapy for clients is geared towards establishing client awareness of the influences of past behavior. It edges on their understanding of these behaviors to ensure clients resolve their conflicts and symptoms rising from the past dysfunctional relationships (Sharpless, 2019). There are several goals for the psychodynamic therapy that Joe should set and achieve. First, we would have to work to successfully eliminate his anxiety, and ensure he has a cordial relationship with his family, friends. Another goal for therapy would be to addresses his depression to ensure he does not commit suicide. Therapy would also be tailored to change the perception he has about himself and to stop blaming himself for his parents’ divorce, be more open to others and remedy his compulsive eating.  

Techniques 

Whenever interacting with clients, counselors need to ensure that they treat their clients as partners and not subordinates to them. They should include the clients in the goals setting process where they will give them the chance to come up with realistic goals (Cabaniss, 2019). Counselors who set goals for their clients may cause them to quit therapy if they set unachievable goals. They may also set general goals that not specifically tailored to their problems (Cabaniss, 2019). This technique will not help the client as much as it should as they may not commit to goals set by other people. There are several tools and techniques that counselors use with psychodynamic therapy. Some of the techniques include the psychodynamic diagnostic manual, Rorschach Inkblots, the Freudian slip, free association, or dream analysis.   

My technique, when dealing with Joe’s case, will include using the free association technique of psychodynamic theory. In this technique, the counselor lets the client lead the discussion by encouraging them to speak freely (Cabaniss, 2019). I believe that free association is the most effective of all the techniques used as it gives the counselor a chance of understanding the unspoken thoughts of the client. I will ask Joe to speak freely on the first thoughts that come to his mind. After giving the words, he will then have to give the associations they have to the topic and go from there. This method will ensure that Joe speaks without censorship and will help me in understanding his situation (Cabaniss, 2019). The hope of using this technique will be to provoke an intensely traumatic event that will be stressing to the Joe but could lead to catharsis where Joe will understand more about himself, feelings and behavior (Cabaniss, 2019. The technique is most effective as the unconscious mind of the client can only be reached with the clients lead.  

Application in the School Setting 

The psychodynamic theory can be applied to a school setting. It is the best choice for dealing with clients that have depression, and cannot maintain personal relationships. It is also effective in treating eating disorders, social anxiety, and addiction, which are all likely issues for teenagers and school-going children (Cabaniss et al., 2019). Counselors need to understand their clients and deal with each of them as individuals. This means that the approach they use might be similar, but they should ensure it is tailored to the student’s need. They should also incorporate goal setting in their counseling. Here they need to come up with SMART goals that the client must achieve (Alessi, & Kahn, 2019). The goal-setting phase should be client inclusive since they are aware of their station and know what they are capable of. Having students as partners in the counseling process will also give them the confidence to achieve the goals they set.  

Counselors can also choose one of the five techniques and tools of psychodynamic theories. Here, they will select the best approach that they feel is likely to cater to all the needs of their students. The counselor should ensure that whatever technique that they employ, they end up conjuring a traumatic experience that students faced in their childhood years that will bring a healing effect to them (Glen et al., 2019). They should also be keen on helping the student understand the genesis of their behaviors and realizing how their past affects their present (Martinsen et al., 2019). The counselor must also increase students’ self-awareness to make them the best version of themselves . 

References  

Alessi, E. J., & Kahn, S. (2019). Using psychodynamic interventions to engage in trauma-informed practice.  Journal of Social Work Practice ,  33 (1), 27-39. 

Cabaniss, D. L. (2019). Psychodynamic Supervision.  Supervision in Psychiatric Practice: Practical Approaches Across Venues and Providers , 179. 

Glenn, C. R., Esposito, E. C., Porter, A. C., & Robinson, D. J. (2019). Evidence base update of psychosocial treatments for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in youth.  Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology ,  48 (3), 357-392. 

Martinsen, E. W., Michie, S., Ashford, S., Sniehotta, F. F., Carey, R. N., Johnston, M., ... & Te Velde, S. J. (2019). Psychodynamic Psychotherapy.  Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine ,  62 (47), 300. 

Sharpless, B. A. (2019).  Psychodynamic Therapy Techniques: A Guide to Expressive and Supportive Interventions . Oxford University Press.