COUNSELLOR
PSYCHOTHERAPIST
MA.Couns. Grad. Dip. Couns. CM CAPA, PACFA, IARPP
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428 George St. Sydney 2000
02 9241 6225
The ancient Greek word 'Psyche', meaning Spirit/Soul, has commonly been limited in modern language to signify 'mind' and intellectual process. In Psychodynamic concepts, the term Psyche connotes thoughts, emotions, instincts and feelings as well as ‘soul’. Together they are understood to have a reciprocal influence and interaction; hence, the adjunct term ‘Dynamic’, to signify the activity and movement of diverse forces that in turn creates another movement.
Psychodynamic theories, therefore, explore the harmonious and disharmonious interaction
of thoughts, emotions and feelings in the lifelong process of self-
Psychological symptoms and problems are the expressions of inner conflicting forces
over ‘unacceptable’ aspects of our selves, or of our relationships with others. These
conflicts may give rise to anxiety or “psychic pains” rejected by unconscious “defense
mechanisms”, which help us suppress what seems to be consciously unacceptable. Denied
feelings, memories and wishes may re-
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is a collaborative work between client and therapist
and cannot be imparted on a passive subject. Therefore, the individual embarking
on this task has to share the responsibility for self-
At times, the counselling relationship is prone to exerting a certain amount of stress upon both client and counsellor. In these situations, it is valuable if both parties have established a working alliance from the outset. This may mean that the client has agreed to sustain and tolerate the frustration arising from the therapeutic relationship, so the client can continue working with the counsellor to explore the underlying affects and their meaning ‘from the inside out’, not only through an exchange of ideas, but through the observation and experience of their relationship’s dynamics.
What is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy