Understanding Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic Therapy is rooted in Freudian psychology, focusing on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person's present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy include helping clients understand and resolve their conflicts by exploring their unconscious motives, needs, and defenses. This approach emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as a window to dysfunctional relational patterns in the client's life. Through techniques like free association and dream analysis, clients gain insight into their emotional struggles and how their past influences their current behavior. References: Freud, S. (1917). Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis. Hogarth Press. Shedler, J. (2010). The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 65(2), 98-109.