The Psychodynamic Approach to

Counselling
The psychodynamic approach to counselling is a form of psychotherapy with
its roots in traditional psychoanalysis, which was pioneered by
Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud as a clinical method for treating
psychopathology, a term meaning mental disorders.

Freud believed that we are governed by subconscious drives and conflicting

parts of our personality which he labelled the id, ego and super ego. This
tripartite personality sees the id as the needy uncontrolled part of ourselves.
The ego, on the other hand, is our adult self trying to rein in the childish self-
destructive desires of the id

 Techniques - A psychodynamic therapist may draw upon psychoanalytic

techniques in their work with a client. Free association and dream
interpretation are commonly used in both psychoanalysis and
psychodynamics as a means to explore the unconscious.

 Bringing the subconscious in to the here and now - Both theories

help the client understand how decisions subconsciously made in
childhood are carried through in to our adult lives

Key concepts:
The Role of the Unconscious

The psychodynamic approach to counselling aims to help clients to develop

their self-awareness by exploring what is happening in their process at an
unconscious level.

Relevant psychoanalytic concepts such as defence mechanisms; the Jungian

concept of shadow; psychosexual stages; and ego, superego and id are likely
to form a part of how a psychodynamic therapist makes sense of the material
the client brings.

A psychodynamic therapist will work with the client to explore their responses
and to bring their unconscious selves into conscious awareness. Carl Jung
called this process Individuation

Transference and Countertransference

Psychodynamic therapy often involves paying attention to transference and

countertransference responses which occur in the therapeutic relationship

 Transference refers to the feelings that a client develops towards a therapist,

which typically mirror relational dynamics and feelings from past relationships.

Exploring the responses that a client is experiencing towards a therapist can

allow deeper exploration of the ways in which past experiences are
influencing the client’s here-and-now relating and bring unconscious or
repressed feelings to light in the therapeutic relationship where they can be
safely explored and processed

Countertransference is a complex phenomenon; there is likely to be a

mixture of here-and-now feelings and feelings with their basis in the
therapist’s past experiences which make up part of the therapist’s
unconscious response to the client, but also, the therapist may unconsciously
develop feelings in response to the client’s transference – this is where
countertransference emerges and may be useful to the therapeutic work.

Overview

Psychodynamic counselling tends to be a longer-term approach which

involves deep exploration of self. It is suitable for clients who wish to explore
their inner-selves at depth, or who have difficulties in their lives and
relationships with no obvious cause.

A psychodynamic approach to counselling is inherently relational and views

the emergence of unconscious material within the therapeutic relationship as
inevitable. Typically, psychodynamic therapy will involve a mixture of directive
and non-directive approaches, employing some psychoanalytic technique, but
also allowing space for the client to navigate their way through their own
unconscious.

Psychodynamic therapy is a ‘whole life’ approach where you explore the life
process and interactions that made you who you are. It also helps you
consider what you want to change