In the eighth edition of the Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy by Gerald Corey, counseling students are introduced to various styles of counseling. Of those styles it is perhaps the psychoanalytic techniques that mostly fascinate students.
Gerald Corey is a professor emeritus of human services at California State University at Fullerton and a licensed psychologist. His insights into the theory and practice of psychotherapy techniques, as well as other schools of counseling, have been taught for close to 30 years. Of all the theories he teaches, Corey indicates that it is the views of Freud and psychoanalysis that continue to influence the contemporary practice of counseling and psychology.
The Goals of Psychoanalytic Theory
All counseling theories are grounded in certain theoretical goals that the therapist wishes to accomplish throughout the time they spend with clients. According to Corey, Freud and the psychoanalyst's perspective hold the following primary goals of psychoanalytic theory:
- To make unconscious thoughts and memories conscious.
- To reconstruct the basic personality of a client
- To assist clients in reliving earlier experiences and working through repressed conflicts
- To achieve intellectual and emotional awareness
Additionally, Freud and psychoanalysis believe that it is important to strengthen one’s ego so that behavior will be based more in reality and not so much on the instinctual cravings that the ID wants to express.
Accomplishing the Goals of Psychoanalytic Theory
To accomplish these goals of psychoanalytic theory a counseling client will need to find a psychologist that is trained to perform psychoanalytic techniques.
Corey indicates that traditionally psychologist that are trained to perform psychoanalytic techniques make an attempt to be anonymous during their sessions. The reason this occurs is so that they can make use of transference which happens when a client projects feelings they have of an important person in their life onto the therapist.
Corey goes on to state that those trained in psychoanalytic techniques tend to make interpretations for the client in order to teach the client the meanings of their current behavior and how it relates to their past. This is usually done through the use of dream analysis, free association, and analyzing the resistance that the clients have within a session.
Psychoanalytic Techniques Explained
Corey offers the following explanations for three of the key psychoanalytic techniques:
- Free Association – This technique encourages clients to speak their mind and say whatever they’re thinking regardless of how silly, unimportant, rude, or painful it may be. Generally this technique allows for some catharsis and the therapist keeps an ear open to repressed material that the client may not be fully exploring. The psychoanalyst will also interpret this material with a goal of leading the client toward better insights of the hidden dynamics.
- Dream Analysis – Sigmund Freud believed that dreams are the “road to the unconscious” because of the fact that so much repressed unconscious material arises within the context of dreams. The therapist works to uncover the disguised meanings that are in the dream through the study of the dream symbolism.
- Analysis of Resistance – Resistance occurs when a client becomes reluctant to bring unconscious or repressed thoughts to the surface and explore then. It is also identified as “any idea, attitude, feeling, or action (conscious or unconscious) that fosters the status quo and gets in the way of change.” The therapist of the psychoanalytic model will usually point out resistance when it occurs and then educate the client about how to better work with the unconscious material as opposed to resist it.
Though there are other techniques, these are the three that counseling clients most often desire to know more about.
Limitations of Psychoanalytic Techniques
Corey explains that counseling clients that seek psychoanalysis should be aware that such intensive therapy is both time consuming and very costly. Additionally, it takes a highly skilled and trained therapist for the techniques to be used correctly and in a method that is truly conductive to therapy. Further more, clients with a weak ego may not be able to handle this intensive form of therapy.
In summary, psychoanalysis has long been of interest to many. Coming from a rich background with several intriguing techniques, the therapist works to accomplish the primary goal of bringing the unconscious into conscious awareness. Those seeking this form of therapy should be aware of all the limitations that are involved including time and money.
For more information consider reading Gerald Corey’s Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy or visiting the American Psychoanalytic Association. Also consider reading the article Counseling and Psychotherapy.
References
Corey, G. (2009). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. (8th ed). Belmont, CA: Books/Cole.
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