What does Psychodynamic Therapy/Counselling look like in practice?
Psychodynamic counselling employs strict boundaries with regards to session time-keeping, setting a therapeutic contract, breaks and endings. Such boundaries help to contain and hold the client. A psychodynamic counsellor usually keeps to the rule of abstinence and anonymity, so that the client knows little about the therapist. This can help show up transference reactions which can highlight important information about the client’s past experiences. Psychodynamic counsellors work with ‘transference’ which is the process that occurs in therapy when the client responds to the counsellor as if to a significant other person from the client’s past. Transference allows the counsellor to learn more about the client’s developmental course from child to adult. Transference in the therapeutic relationship can be positive or negative. Positive transference may including feelings of care or concern for the other. Negative transference may involve feelings of dislike, loathing or mistrust. Psycho-d
