Psychotherapy Strategies Drawn from Psychodynamic and Interpersonal Approaches

1278 Words3 Pages

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a video entitled Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Counseling & Psychotherapy (Brooks-Harris &Oliveira-Berry, 2004). The video features Dr. Jeff Brooks-Harris and Dr. Jill Oliveira-Berry demonstrating sixteen skills drawn from psychodynamic and interpersonal approaches to psychotherapy. Essential Elements of Psychodynamic and Interpersonal Approaches to Psychotherapy Psychoanalysis is a unique form of psychological treatment founded by Sigmund Freud and later modified by his followers including Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, and Harry Stack-Sullivan (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Although there is no one psychoanalytic theory Wedding and Corsini (2013) tell us that there are basic principles that tend to be found throughout different psychoanalytic perspectives. They note that psychodynamic perspectives emphasize ideas of the unconscious and the ability to increase choice by facilitating an awareness of unconscious motivations. Psychodynamic perspectives tend to focus on the client’s use of defense mechanisms like projection, reaction formation, splitting, intellectualization, repression, transference, and resistance as a way of avoiding painful fantasies, feelings, and thoughts (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Such perspectives embrace the assumption that people are ambivalent about change and emphasize the importance of exploring that ambivalence (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). In addition, the therapeutic relationship is viewed as a vehicle of change; one that can be used for exploring both unconscious (primary) and conscious (secondary) self-defeating processes and actions (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Transference and countertransference are viewed as essential therapeutic tools (Wedding & Corsini, 2013). Psyc... ... middle of paper ... ...ed. In fact, they responded with exclamations like, “I guess that could be true.” The interpretation seemed like a stretch by the therapist even in a training video about psychodynamic therapy! I had to wonder what it might look like in real life. Overall, I felt like this therapy might work on clients like the ones portrayed, i.e. clingy self-doubting ones. The techniques seemed to huddle in the arena of suggestibility. In the end I couldn’t help but wonder how such techniques would work on more self-aware strong-willed people like myself. Works Cited Brooks-Harris, J. & Oliveira-Berry, J. (2004). Key Strategies for Multitheoretical Counseling & Psychotherapy Vol. IV: Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Counseling & Psychotherapy [video]. Farmingham, MA: Microtraining Associates. Wedding, D., & Corsini, R. (2013). Current Psychotherapies: Cengage Learning.

Open Document