Psychodynamic Case Study

Max is a 25-year-old African American male who suffers from Opioid Use Disorder, Severe. Max was raised by his mother while his father remained in prison for distribution of Methamphetamine. Max started using at the young age of 13. He has moved around a lot as a child since his mother could not find work in her rural communities. Max has always had a hard time making friends and getting to know people for fear of getting close to people and having to move. Max has started to experience some problems due to his usage and has ended up in residential treatment. Max is unable to full fill his role as a father, son, and husband. He cannot hold a job and has caught his first criminal charge of possession. He is seeking help because the court has

The psychodynamic approach focuses on individuals who behave in a certain way due to having emotional feelings buried deep inside their unconscious mind. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud who was a psychologist. The use of the psychodynamic approach within health and social care helps individuals understand and support patients who are undergoing the psychodynamic process as it is generally used around the world. This essay aims to show my understanding of the approach and the ways health and social care workers could apply the theory to a health and social care setting. By explaining what psychodynamic counselling is and how it helps individuals it shows how I am able to identify the solutions to the problems.

Psychodynamic theory, although it is outdated, is the foundation for what we know as counseling today. It was first created by Freud and later expanded by Erikson and Jung. The focus of this therapy is mainly bringing the feelings and desires of the unconscious into consciousness and the unconsciousness’ role in behavior. It also postulates that there are different stages of personality development across the life span. Freud’s focus was on psychosexual development while Erikson used psychosocial stages as well. It concentrates mostly on childhood experiences, arguing that examination of the past leads to character development. This examination of the past and the unconscious can be accomplished through a number of techniques including

The history of Psychodynamic psychology originated with Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century. Freud proposed a psychodynamic theory to which personality consists of the id. The Id is present at birth and it resides in the world of unconsciousness. Freud also said that the unconscious is also a place where human instinctual biological drives reside. The drives direct our behaviour towards choices that promise to satisfy our basic human needs. The drives ensure our survival like drinking water and eating food, the desire for reproduction and the necessity for aggression.

ID, ego and superego. He said you were born with ID which was in your

Mental illness is often wrongly portrayed in the United States’ media creating stigmatization and misrepresentation. Mental illness “refers to a wide range of mental disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). Examples of disorders include anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Any “negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are called stigma” (Wilson et al., 2016, p. 2) and stigma can contribute to progression of mental illness because of its harmful effects due to misrepresentation in the media. In the recent years, the United States media has began to address the reprehension around the topic of mental illness, as it has began to develop into a rising problem in citizens across the nation. In the past, any portrayal of a figure or character with a mental disorder would be wrongly depicted, therefore, creating a distorted perception for the viewers (Stout et al., 2004, p. 1). Television shows have started to establish characters with mental illness in hopes to lessen the stigma behind ill characters due to the wrongful associations viewers may make. The way media viewers’ stereotype the mentally ill into categories can be harmful to the well being of those with disorders. Stereotypes can be so harmful that even medical professionals “contend that stigma is a major reason why one-fourth of the estimated 50 million Americans experiencing mental illness yearly will not seek

I primarily believe in the behavioral perspective. However, on the topic of obsessive compulsive disorder I find that I favor the psychodynamic perspective. OCD is classified as a long lasting disorder, in which a person has recurring thoughts and behaviors they feel need to be completed repetitively. I tend to favor the behavioral perspective because I agree with the idea that outside factors influence a persons responses and behaviors. Throughout childhood and even more on, one is constantly taught about their environment and they learn everything they need to know in life through this perspective. Whether that be conditioning a child as they grow, so that they are able to learn and differentiate good from bad through reward and punishment. To understanding why an individual acts a certain way and what

This perspective involves examining the physical aspects that affect a living thing’s behavior such as the brain, nervous system, and genetics.

My practice is driven by and laden with traces of the values of capacity for change and growth, the voice of the individual, and curiosity. The belief in the capacity for change and growth motivates me to sit with some clients that others consider difficult and attempt to assist them in seeing the prospect of change while maintaining a respect for their decision. The value of the voice of the individual drives me to open myself to the many possibilities that the client considers and hear things from their perspective. This value causes me to be invested in the client voicing whatever they deem necessary and working through what they voice to build the solutions they have created. The value of the voice of the individual also inspires me to

During casual conversations I have often been quoted as stating” We are all a bunch of big kids”. This comment stems from my personal belief that adults are influenced during childhood experiences and these experiences greatly impact their adulthood. To elaborate in depth regarding my personal beliefs; I will examine the psychodynamic and developmental perspectives, how they relate to my personal life and reflect on how each perspective is been used in my professional life.

The choice of therapeutic approach is critical to the effectiveness of any therapeutic plan. In some cases, a particular approach has become a universal standard: such as cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of phobias. More often, there is a range of potentially suitable approaches. Numerous factors constrain the possibilities: the nature of the presenting problem or psychological issue, the client’s level of commitment to change, whether the client is an individual, family, or group are all factors. Practical considerations are also relevant: the cost of treatment and limits of insurance coverage, the duration of sessions and total length of treatment, and legal or institutional constraints. The client’s preference is also extremely

The Psychodynamic perspective in Psychology examines the theory that our personality and mental disorders are created outside of our awareness by processes in our unconscious mind. It examines the idea that our unconscious outweighs our actual consciousness and that there is more than what we credit ourselves for and/or are potentially unconsciously blocking. One of the best known approaches of this perspective is by using psychoanalysis. This approach highlights and evaluates dreams, the slip of the tongue and free association. Free association is a theorized step in psychoanalysis where one is in a relaxed state and speaks whatever is on their mind for a period of time and then analyzed to attempt to connect the dots from experiences in our past that are unconsciously hidden by us. It could be said that this method is like tossing puzzle pieces across the floor and using each piece to another until the right jigsaw piece is found. This helps the patient understand the why and how of an issue and is left to the analyst to explain and help evolve the next steps of resolution to the newly understood information. In a sense this promoted that talking about your problems and fears would start to dissipate the mental abnormalities over time by connecting the issues of today by what has happened in the past that has created the present personality or behavior. This perspective can best be explained that the mind is an iceberg. The conscious level

The purpose of understanding and utilizing a variety of psychodynamic approaches is for the humanistic well-being, in connection with the client using a client –centered therapeutic approach. The reason for using a psychodynamic approach is unveiling the conscious and unconscious mind, from the client’s emotional state of mind. The psychodynamic approach focuses on the beginning stages of the clients childhood years, typically analyzing events from birth breaking from six years old. The human mind unconscious and conscious state determines who we are and how we will be from our past carrying over to our present, and dictating our future. Henceforth, the effects of our state of mind come from past events in our subconscious mind, which plays a major role in our adult life. As an illustration, Sigmund Fraud, a psychologist theoretical ordained the importance of childhood events, which play a major part in our daily lives. The definition of psychodynamic approach is unconscious thoughts, pressures of society, family events, people’s childhood event, and biological forces. A professional person in the area of psychology must be in tune, with the client using empathy and code of ethics. For example, the theories are psychoanalysis, analytical, or individual approach which deals with the person’s state of well-being.

Psychodynamic theory focuses upon the unconscious processes which drive our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors within the person and towards their environment. In the presented case, C has had excessive demands placed upon her by her mother who expects the client to clean and cook for her while returning negative feedback and abuse. The distress that C is experiencing within herself and in her home environment is compounded by defense mechanisms she is deploying to help her cope. It could be said that C is experiencing introjection as she is unconsciously experiencing anger towards herself, evidenced in self-deprecating statements, instead of experiencing anger towards her mother for abusing and demeaning C. In addition, C may be experiencing

Eclectic psychology is a varied approach to psychology in which psychotherapists pool a number of psychotherapy theories together in order to provide a flexible foundation to adapt to a patient’s needs. Eclecticism is a fairly new style of therapy used today in psychology. At one point, therapists were using just a single system or practice, but now eclectic psychotherapy is highly dominant. The ‘’No’’ side of the issue says that eclectic approaches have a weak conceptual bases and without a guiding framework, therapists are less knowledgeable about the theories overall. Don Macdonald and Marcia Webb believe that it is unnecessary for psychotherapists to know multiple theories to work successfully. I believe Jean A. Carter brings up good