If you have attended therapy or have an idea of what mental health counseling looks like in your head, one of the first things that comes to mind is likely the question, “How does that make you feel?”. Think about any therapy reference in popular culture and some form of that question is likely present. With that being said, some of the more popular, modern types of therapy, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), do not place this question at the forefront of counseling sessions.
Psychodynamic therapy can be applied for a variety of mental health concerns; however, many people may not know about this therapeutic practice. Psychodynamic therapy offers a holistic approach to mental health care. To learn more, continue reading this blog!
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
How is psychodynamic therapy done?
Psychodynamic therapy is often referred to as a “global therapy.” Many other therapies focus only on the solution, such as CBT or Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). These more brief, solution-focused types of therapy focus on reducing or eliminating a client’s symptoms instead of getting to the root cause. Alternatively, in psychodynamic therapy, your deep-seated needs, urges, and desires will be explored and discussed.
Psychodynamic therapy also involves interpreting mental and emotional processes instead of just focusing on your behavior. A psychodynamic therapist at Anchor Therapy will help you identify patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs so you can gain insight into your current self.
The patterns that you are living on repeat likely begin in your childhood. According to psychodynamic therapy, early life experiences prove to be very influential in how you psychologically develop and function as an adult.
Here are some key questions that you may explore in psychodynamic therapy:
What were your relationships like with your parents or caregivers growing up?
How do you think your childhood experiences have shaped your current relationships or self-view?
Are there any recurring themes or patterns in your dreams or fantasies?
How do you react when you are feeling threatened or anxious?
Do you see any patterns in your romantic, platonic, or professional relationships that keep repeating?
Are there qualities in others that trigger strong reactions from you, and could these reflect something within yourself?
How do you feel when you are emotionally close to someone? Does it feel comfortable, or does it bring up anxiety or fear?
How do you see yourself? What words or labels would you use to describe your identity?
What role do feelings of shame or self-blame play in your emotional life?
Do you worry about losing important people in your life? How do these fears affect your relationships?
How do you feel about control or power in relationships or situations? Do you feel the need to dominate or submit?
Are there parts of yourself that seem to be at odds with each other (e.g., you want independence and connection at the same time)?
Have you experienced traumatic events in your life, and how do they affect you today?
What emotions do you find difficult to tolerate or accept?
What gives your life meaning or purpose? Is there anything you are passionate about?
How do you see your ideal self, and how does that differ from your current self?
And much more!
You can think of your life as a puzzle and psychodynamic therapy is trying to help you figure out what pieces go where. How do you balance work with having a healthy social life? Check out our blog “3 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Balance” for more information.
Where does spending quality time with your spouse fit in with all of your childcare responsibilities? If you resonate with this struggle, our blog “Building A Stronger Relationship with Your Partner Post-Baby” is a must-read.
How does your childhood impact your ability to form and maintain healthy relationships? Read our blog “How Childhood Trauma Can Impact You As An Adult.”
Psychodynamic counseling shows you that you can change the puzzle pieces if you do not like how they are arranged or, in other words, if the pieces simply are not fitting. The goal is for your puzzle to produce a more functional and positive view of yourself.
In full transparency, some sessions of psychodynamic therapy can feel intense. After all, you are discussing your deepest fears, life concerns, and childhood traumas. But the beauty of psychodynamic counseling sessions is that they are open-ended. There is no set agenda or schedule- you can talk about whatever you want to discuss. Psychodynamic sessions typically occur on a weekly basis, and can last anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour.
Some people may confuse psychodynamic therapy with psychoanalytic therapy; however, they are different. Out of the two, psychoanalytic therapy is more intense. Sessions occur multiple times a week and can last years on end. The goal of psychoanalytic therapy lies in uncovering unconscious material to greatly change your personality and, therefore, life. Psychoanalytic therapy really works on exploring one’s psyche. While psychodynamic therapy explores unconscious processes, it focuses on specific problems and current functioning as well. In psychodynamic therapy, the emphasis is more so on exploring how past experiences influence your emotions and behavior in the present moment.
Who would benefit from psychodynamic therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy can benefit a wide range of clients, especially those who are looking to explore their thoughts, emotions, and behavior more. It is particularly helpful for people who are looking to seek long-term insights into their mental health struggles instead of getting just symptom relief.
The following are populations that psychodynamic counseling works well for:
People with anxiety disorders (Read our blog to take our Anxiety Quiz “Do I Have Anxiety? Take The Quiz and Learn 5 Instant Calming Tips”)
Individuals with depression (Take our Depression Quiz)
People with relationship issues and attachment-related concerns (Check out our blog “How Do The Four Attachment Styles Impact Romantic Relationships?”)
People with trauma histories (Our blog “Am I Experiencing Complicated and Traumatic Grief?” is a must-read)
Individuals with personality disorders
People with unresolved grief or loss
People seeking personal growth (To learn how therapy can assist with self-growth, check out our article with Hoboken Girl “Anchor Therapy: 6 Helpful Tips on How to Prepare for Your First Session”)
Individuals with psychosomatic symptoms (Read our blog “3 Ways to Manage Your Physical Anxiety Symptoms”)
People with childhood or family issues (Read our blog “How to Decide If Family Counseling Is The Right Fit For You”)
People experiencing repetitive life problems (Check out our blog “4 Ways to Build A Habit That Sticks”)
What are the five major elements of psychodynamic therapy?
There are five major elements that guide psychodynamic counseling to help you explore your inner world in depth. The purpose of these five elements is to discover your unconscious motivations, emotional conflicts, and patterns of behavior.
The five key components of psychodynamic counseling are as follows…
The Unconscious Mind
A primary element of psychodynamic counseling is the highlight of the unconscious mind. It is believed that a person’s thoughts, feelings, and desires are hidden in their unconscious mind. If you have ever wondered how unconscious motivations, early life experiences, and past unresolved conflicts impact present behaviors and emotions, psychodynamic therapy may be the right fit for you!
2. Early Childhood Experiences
As previously mentioned, early childhood experiences, especially your relationship with your caregiver(s), can have a profound impact on who you are. This is a central theme in psychodynamic therapy. This idea suggests that many emotional concerns you hold in adulthood may be connected to unmet needs from childhood, which can be repeated in relationships as an adult. Discussing early life experiences can shed light on your current behavioral patterns.
3. Defense Mechanisms
It is likely that you have a defense mechanism, but you do not know what it is. To prevent yourself from anxiety or uncomfortable thoughts or feelings, your brain creates defense mechanisms. Simply put, they are unconscious psychological strategies. Psychodynamic counseling works to pinpoint and comprehend these mechanisms, perhaps it is repression or manifests as projection. These mechanisms can add to the emotional hardships or unhealthy patterns that may be present in your life.
4. Transference and countertransference
Transference is where a client projects feelings or expectations from other relationships onto their therapist. That is to say, this client unconsciously treats their psychodynamic therapist as they would treat a significant person from their past, such as a parent for example. Working through transference is a great way to think about potential unresolved issues.
On the other hand, countertransference is when the psychodynamic counselor has an emotional reaction to their client. This can be explored further to understand the dynamics in a therapeutic relationship. With that being said, rest assured that your mental health counselor is trained in how to handle countertransference and it will not become an issue in your sessions together.
5. Insight and self-reflection
Psychodynamic insight will give you a deeper understanding of your unconscious motives, emotional struggles, and long-standing behavioral concerns. By having insight, you will increase your level of self-awareness, emotional growth, and the ability to make decisions that are healthy for you. Regardless of what form of therapy you choose, self-reflection will play a big role in your counseling journey. For therapy to be effective, you must be willing to explore your inner thoughts and feelings.
For more information on taking the next step of attending psychodynamic therapy, our blog “How To Find The Best Therapist Near Me” is a must-read.
The five elements of psychodynamic therapy aim to paint a better picture for how you can learn to understand yourself, the relationships in your life, and your emotional functioning. Making personal insights, reviewing past experiences, and unveiling unconscious processes distinguishes psychodynamic counseling from other forms of psychotherapy.
The Goals of Psychodynamic Counseling
Psychodynamic therapy includes elements of psychoanalysis with a focus being on understanding how unconscious processes shape your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. If you are looking to alleviate your mental health symptoms immediately and seek no further exploration, psychodynamic counseling may not be the right fit for you.
Psychodynamic counseling is all about fostering long-term psychological change, from exploring unresolved conflicts to emotional patterns. Long-term personal growth and emotional healing usually occur to clients after successfully working with a psychodynamic therapist.
One of the most fundamental goals of psychodynamic therapy is to increase your level of self-awareness. When you understand more about your thoughts, emotions, and motivations, you will develop a better understanding of your emotional world. How do your thoughts, dreams, and memories influence your current behavior? With knowledge of their influence, how can you make more informed decisions to break free from repetitive patterns in your life?
You may also have internal conflicts that you need to resolve to live life as the best version of yourself. Therefore, a goal is to identify and resolve internal psychological conflicts that may be disturbing you emotionally or leading to dysfunctional behavior. What conflicting desires or emotions are you feeling? For example, do you want intimacy but fear being vulnerable? Bringing conflicts into your awareness is a sure step to navigate and resolve them which will only improve your functioning and lead to healthier relationships.
In psychodynamic therapy, you will explore how past experiences impact your present behavior and emotional responses. The focus will especially be on examining early childhood experiences and relationships. Did you experience unresolved conflicts or unmet needs growing up? Is there a connection between past experiences and maladaptive behaviors or reactions?
Another topic that will be discussed in psychodynamic counseling is addressing repetitive patterns. To break free from unhealthy or destructive patterns of behavior, you first must identify them. Unresolved emotional issues from the past may lead to recurring behaviors or relationship problems now. How will identifying and understanding these patterns allow you to make the conscious choice to change them?
A general part of psychodynamic therapy is fostering personal growth and emotional maturity. How can you become more emotionally resilient and self-reflective? Do you believe that personal growth will allow you to handle life transitions more smoothly?
If you want a comprehensive approach to psychological healing and personal growth, look no further than psychodynamic therapy at Anchor Therapy! We offer both in-person and virtual therapy sessions so you can foster self-awareness, improve emotional regulation, and address behavioral concerns.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager, Intake Coordinator, and Community Engagement Director at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark and is currently studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media/community presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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