D171 Tma01 Essay

1395 Words6 Pages
Part A Compare and contrast how the person-centred and psychodynamic models of counselling understand the person, and how the two approaches explain psychological distress experienced by individuals. Counselling means different things to different people, the majority of people see it as their only option when things are not going as they planned and chose the model that they feel suits them best. There are three main models of counselling; Psychodynamic, Cognitive behavioural and person-centred. In this essay I will examine the similarities and differences between the psychodynamic and person-centred approach. The psychodynamic approach to counselling is based on the psychoanalytic theories and practice of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), (McLeod, 2008a). Freud believed that psychosexual development led to sexual wishes and memories which would be at the root of the patient’s problems. However since then psychodynamic approaches have strayed from this and developed an approach which is more psychosocial, though they still believe that the client’s problems have origins in childhood experiences (McLeod, 2008a). A main focus of psychodynamic counselling is the belief that the majority of our mental functioning is unconscious; our unconscious contains memories, thoughts and feelings which can be irrational or the imprints and demands of our parents, the unconscious is constantly battling with the conscious, but we are unaware of it as this would be deeply uncomfortable to live with; so we deal with it by using defense mechanisms such as repression or denial. The purpose of psychodynamic counselling is to bring the unconscious into conscious awareness; this is to allow the individual to gain insight and understanding into the reasoning behind their behaviours (McLeod, 2008a). Through ‘free association’ this is able to be done; a
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