Transcript Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy

Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Psychoanalytic Key Concepts
 Influence of the past
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Experiences of first 6 years of life are critical
 The Unconscious
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Thoughts, feelings, experience kept out of awareness
 Anxiety and ego defenses
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Dynamics of anxiety are related to concept of defense
 Resistance
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Unique meaning of resistance as a key defense
 Transference and countertransference
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How these operate in a counseling group
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 6 (1)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Developmental Perspective
 Developmental stages: Implications for
group work
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Why it is essential to understand stages of life
 Freud’s psychosexual theory
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Basic aspects of traditional Freudian theory
 Erikson’s psychosocial theory
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Understanding critical turning points at each of
the stages of life
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 6 (2)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Role of Group Therapist
 Some role and functions of group therapist:
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Roles depend greatly on therapist’s leadership style
Contemporary approach emphasizes therapeutic alliance
Leader helps members to understand their transference
reactions within the group and encourages exploration
Therapist helps members face and deal with resistances
Helps members to view the group as a social microcosm
To carry out their functions, leaders need to understand
their own dynamics and countertransference
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 6 (3)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Ego-Defense Mechanisms
 Ego-defense mechanisms:
 Are normal behaviors which operate on an
unconscious level and tend to deny or distort reality
 Members often manifest same defenses in a group
that operate in their lives outside of the group
 Help the individual cope with anxiety and prevent the
ego from being overwhelmed
 Have adaptive value if they do not become a style of
life to avoid facing reality
 Defenses, if respected, can lead to greater selfunderstanding in a group setting
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 6 (4)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Psychoanalytic Techniques
 Free Association
 Individual reports immediately without censoring any
feelings or thoughts
 Interpretation
 Group therapist points out, explains, and teaches the
meanings of whatever is revealed
 Dream Analysis
 Dreams are the “royal road to the unconscious”
 Dreams can be productively worked with in a group
setting
 Members can share and explore dreams in a group
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 6 (5)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Transference and Countertransference
 Transference
 The member reacts to the therapist as he/she did to an
earlier significant other
 This allows the member to experience feelings that
would otherwise be inaccessible
 In groups, multiple transferences provide for re-enacting
of past unfinished conflicts
 Analysis of transference—a hallmark of analytic groups
 Countertransference
 The reaction of group leader toward certain members that
may interfere with objectivity
 Countertransference is something to understand and
explore
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Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Resistance
 Resistance
 Anything that works against the progress of
group therapy and prevents the production of
unconscious material
 Analysis of Resistance
 Helps members to see ways they typically defend
against anxiety
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These acts interfere with the ability to accept changes which
could lead to a more satisfying life
Applied to group therapy, resistance, if recognized can be the
material to explore more deeply
Resistance is not a negative force to be defeated, but something
to understand and respect in members
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Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Contemporary Trends
 Contemporary trends in psychoanalytic group
theory
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Psychoanalytic theory is not a closed system—
continually evolving
 Object relations theory
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Relational psychoanalytic approach
 Borderline and narcissistic personality disorders
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Significant developments in understanding personality
disorders and ways to work with individuals with
these problems in a group
Clients with borderline characteristics have been
treated in group
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Dialectical behavior therapy—treatment based on
psychodynamic concepts in a cognitive behavioral framework
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Evaluation of Psychoanalytic Group
 Contributions and strengths of the approach
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Important to understand how past contributes to present
problem
Concept of understanding the functions of resistance
Provides a conceptual framework to understand anxiety and
defense
Transference and multiple transferences in a group
Importance of understanding countertransference
 Limitations of the approach
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Limitations based on long-term approach for many clients
Critique of traditional analytic approach from feminist
perspective
The approach has not given full attention to social and
cultural factors
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Key Concepts of Psychodrama
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Creativity
Spontaneity
Working in the present moment
Encounter
Tele
Surplus reality
Catharsis and insight
Reality testing
Role theory
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 8 (1)
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Basic Components of Psychodrama
 The protagonist
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The person who is the focus of the enactment
Protagonist selects the event to be explored
 Auxiliary egos
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Other members who take part in the enactment
 The audience
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Others in the group who observe and participate
 The stage
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The area where the psychodrama enactment
occurs
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 8 (2)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Phases of Psychodrama
 The warm-up phase
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Initial activities to increase involvement of entire
group
Aimed at establishing an atmosphere of spontaneity
 The action phase
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Involves the enactment and working through of a past
or present situation or of an anticipated event
Protagonist is encouraged to move into action
Theme is “Don’t tell us, show us”
 The sharing and discussion phase
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Sharing involves statements about oneself
Discussion of the process comes after personal
sharing
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Techniques in Psychodrama
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Self-presentation
Role reversal
Double
Soliloquy
Empty chair
Replay
Mirror Technique
Future projection
Magic shop
Role training
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 8 (4)
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Evaluation of Psychodrama
 Contributions and strengths of psychodrama
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An action-oriented approach
Active techniques that foster direct experience
Provides alternative ways of dealing with life’s
problems
Can be integrated with other therapies
Promotes catharsis, healing, and self-understanding
 Limitations of psychodrama
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Need to exercise caution in using techniques
Essential that group leader receives training and
supervision
Leaders need to know themselves
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 8 (5)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Existential Therapy
A Philosophical Approach to Therapy
 Basic dimensions of the human condition
 The capacity for self-awareness
 The tension between freedom and responsibility
 The creation of an identity and establishing meaningful
relationships
 The search for meaning
 Accepting anxiety as a condition of living when we face the
givens of existence:
 Death
 Freedom
 Existential isolation
 Meaninglessness
 The awareness of death and nonbeing
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (1)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
The Capacity for Self-Awareness
 The greater our awareness, the greater our possibilities
for freedom
 Awareness is realizing that:
 We are finite—time is limited
 We have the potential, the choice, to act or not to act
 Meaning is not automatic—we must seek it
 We are subject to loneliness, meaninglessness,
emptiness, guilt, and isolation
 Main purpose of an existential group is to increase
awareness
 Existential group assists members in making a
commitment to a lifelong journey of self-exploration
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (2)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Identity and Relationship
 Identity is “the courage to be”—We must
trust ourselves to search within and find
our own answers
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Our great fear is that we will discover that there
is no core, no self
 Relatedness—At their best our relationships
are based on our desire for fulfillment, not
our deprivation
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Relationships that spring from our sense of
deprivation are clinging, parasitic, and symbiotic
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (3)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
The Search for Meaning
 Meaning—like pleasure, meaning must be pursued
obliquely
 Finding meaning in life is a by-product of a
commitment to creating, loving, and working
 Struggle to find sense of significance and purpose in
life is part of human existence
 “The will to meaning” is our primary striving
 Life is not meaningful in itself; the individual must
create and discover meaning
 The group experience can assist members in finding
new meaning in their lives
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (4)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Anxiety – A Condition of Living
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Existential anxiety is normal—life cannot be lived, nor can death be
faced, without anxiety
 Anxiety can be a stimulus for growth as we become aware of and
accept our freedom
 We can blunt our anxiety by creating the illusion that there is
security
in life
 Anxiety is basic to living with awareness and being fully alive
 If we have the courage to face ourselves and life we may be
frightened, but we will be able to change
 Existential therapy does not aim to eliminate anxiety, but to
encourage members to develop the courage to face life squarely
 Once facing our anxiety, it is essential to make a commitment to
action
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (5)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Existential Therapeutic Relationship
 Therapy is a journey taken by facilitator and members
 The person-to-person relationship is key
 The relationship demands that therapists be in
contact with their own phenomenological world
 The core of the therapeutic relationship
 Respect and faith in the members’ potential to cope
 Sharing reactions with genuine concern and empathy
 There are no set techniques in this approach, rather
understanding is of central importance
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Theory and Practice of Group Counseling—Chapter 9 (6)
Copyright © 2008 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Evaluation of Existential Approach
 Contributions and strengths of the approach
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This approach stresses that techniques follow
understanding
Minimization of misusing techniques
Approach provides a framework for understanding key
universal human struggles that can be explored in a
group context
 Limitations of the approach
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Not highly relevant for people who want immediate
solutions or relief from symptoms
Existential group therapist needs a great deal of
maturity, wisdom, life experience, and training
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