The psychodynamic approach focuses on individuals who behave in a certain way due to having emotional feelings buried deep inside their unconscious mind. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud who was a psychologist. The use of the psychodynamic approach within health and social care helps individuals understand and support patients who are undergoing the psychodynamic process as it is generally used around the world. This essay aims to show my understanding of the approach and the ways health and social care workers could apply the theory to a health and social care setting. By explaining what psychodynamic counselling is and how it helps individuals it shows how I am able to identify the solutions to the problems.
Psychodynamic
The conscious awareness is at the surface of the iceberg while the unconscious is present by the ice hidden underneath the surface of the water.
Psychodynamic counsellors focus on the unconscious process as they are within an individual’s current behaviour. Psychodynamic counsellors help their client to observe unresolved conflicts and symptoms which have arisen from the past on their present behaviour. They help individuals examine the conflicts that arise from the past relationships which were not working properly because that may be the reason to why individuals behave in the way they do. Usually the counsellors attempt to let the individual access the unconscious for the individual to come in terms with the self – conscious thoughts and emotions that influence behaviour, or to even learn things missed when trauma had affected development. The counsellor within this field is suppose to avoid letting their personality have an influence on the client and will avoid making personal statements. The must not involve them selves within the therapy as it may affect the client. In actual fact counsellors may not say as much and they may not face the client. The clients may use a couch to lie down on so that they can feel relaxed.
The aim of the psychodynamic counsellors is to try and bring their clients to the surface of their true feelings, in order to experience them and understand them. The counsellors try and help to bring their