Modalities 1
Psychodynamic / psychoanalytic
Psychoanalysis which was created by Sigmund Freud and Psychodynamic
therapy, which was developed later, both incorporate various approaches
enabling clients to bring their true and unconscious feelings to the
surface.
Freud believed that many neuroses were of a sexual nature. Defence
Mechanisms were developed to deal with consciously unbearable ideas
and Dream Analysis or Free Association, uncovered the unconscious motivations.
He detailed five psychosexual stages, focusing upon the first six years
of life. Freud's view of the personality was tripartite , consisting
of the Id (primal urges), the Ego (preconscious and conscious) and
the Superego (self imposed moral code).
Ego Psychology was developed mainly by Erik Erikson, Anna Freud and
Margaret Mahler.
They focussed attention upon the Ego, as the central organising system,
with treatment directed towards strengthening the Ego in relation to
reality. Mahler also developed Objects Relations Theory, along with
others including Melanie Klein and Heinz Kohut. They emphasised relationships
between the self and objects as the major principle in people's lives.
Psychoanalysis is a dynamic system of therapy but remains an interactive
process between the therapist and client with Transference, Countertransference
and Resistance seen as key concepts to success.
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Adlerian
Alfred Adler ( 1870-1937 ) developed Individual Analysis therapy and
was also a major contributor to the Psychodynamic approach. He believed
that people are innately creative, self determinant and that social
interests shape their development.
Personality is understood holistically and teleologically,
as all human behaviour has a purpose and where a person is striving
to go, is more important than from where they came. Social interest,
or Gemeinschaftsgefuhl, was one of his most important concepts. This
refers to an individual's awareness of being part of the human community
and how they deal with their world. As social interest increases, a
person's innate feelings of inferiority will decrease, but problems
arise when feelings of inferiority persist and this could often be
through early life experiences.
Adlerian therapists use early recollections as a diagnostic tool,
along with family constellation and birth order. The client's subjective
frame of reference is taken to examine mistaken or conflicting goals
and faulty assumptions. New patterns of behaviour are experimented
with and there is a focus on re-education of the individual to live
in society as an equal.
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Person-centred
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) developed Person-Centred therapy in four stages,
between the 1940s and 1980s. It is a humanistic approach that trusts
in the client's ability to move forward and to have the desire to achieve
self-actualisation. People are seen as having an innate capacity to
become fully functional and to have the ability to direct their own
lives.
Rogers emphasises the relationship between the therapist and the client
as prime determinants as to the therapy's outcome. The therapist is
there to provide an atmosphere of safety and trust, through the journey
shared by them both, into the phenomenal world of the client. There
are three important aspects to the therapist's approach; congruence,
unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding.
The therapist serves as a model of a genuine, if fallible human being,
as well as a guide through their mutual journey.
Techniques are secondary in this style of counselling to the therapeutic
relationship between client and therapist. By adopting an open and
caring stance in the relationship, the therapist makes it possible
for problems to be safely explored, client facades to be breached and
for the client to become empowered to direct their own life.
Transactional analysis
Eric Berne (1910-1970), was the originator of Classical Transactional
Analysis (TA). Other schools include Redecision created by Bob and
Mary Goulding, which combines TA with Gestalt and Cathexis with Jacqui
Schiff, which focuses on regression and reparenting.
In TA the contract between client and therapist, detailing the client's
goals, is paramount. It is believed that people decide their own destiny
and have the power to change their internal scripts, or unconscious
life plans, determined during childhood. People are seen as basically
okay and capable. Each person has three ego states; Parent, Adult and
Child, which make up their personality and thus determine how they
react to a given situation. The Parent state contains attitudes and
beliefs mainly acquired from one's own parents, the Adult state gives
direct responses to the current reality and problem solves and the
Child state has needs, wants and feelings acquired during childhood.
Important concepts in TA include Strokes, which are a form of recognition
needed for psychological development, Rackets, which are learned and
inauthentic feelings and Games played by clients, which interfere with
their growth. TA is a theory of personality development which provides
techniques for clients to make changes, through self understanding.
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