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Psychodynamic Approach

Psychodynamic counselling began with the work of Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939), and all therapeutic models have, in one way or another, grown out of the pioneering work he completed.

Psychodynamic therapists recognise the role the unconscious plays in the individual’s life; and explore this through a variety of channels such as childhood experiences and the past, ego, dreams and fantasies.

Other contributors to the psychodynamic approach include Alfred Adler (1870 – 1937), Carl Jung (1875 – 1961), Heinz Hartmann (1894 – 1970), Anna Freud (1895 – 1982) and Melanie Klein (1882 – 1960).

Many individuals can benefit from engaging in psychodynamic counselling, however, as this approach is concerned with discovering the root causes of issues, for those individuals who require an immediate ‘fix’, the psychodynamic approach may not be the most suitable.

A time and financial commitment is also required for this approach to succeed, and some individuals may not have the capacity for this.