Psychotherapy: Three Principles of the Analysis of Transference

At one point in a person life, they will participated in a group whether it is part of a specific committee, therapy, or social group. In recent years, there has been a rise in counseling within a group forum veering from the tradition individual counseling. Therapists, physiologist, and counselors believe that form of counseling is beneficial to both counselor and client. This allows the counselor to help several clients at once rather than one at a time decreasing their strenuous workload and demanding work hours. This form of counseling integrate individual that share similar issues, struggles, and experiences into one forum. This not only allows the clients to learn from the therapist but from their fellow group members. The group experience

When it comes to a group theory session, the counselor wants to give the individuals in that setting Instillation of hope, members of therapy groups often find hope as they discover and focus on how to face their problems. Installation of hope is vital because you want to have the individuals that are part of that

Transference is often manifested as an erotic attraction towards a therapist, but can be seen in many other forms such as rage, hatred, mistrust, prettification, extreme dependence, or even placing the therapist in a god-like or guru status. When Freud initially encountered transference in his therapy with clients, he felt it was an obstacle to treatment success. But what he learned was that the analysis of the transference was actually the work that needed to be done. The focus in psychodynamic psychotherapy is, in large part, the therapist and client recognizing the transference relationship and exploring what the meaning of the relationship is. Because the transference between patient and therapist happens on an unconscious level, psychodynamic therapists who are largely concerned with a patient's unconscious material use the transference to reveal unresolved conflicts patients have with figures from their childhoods. Countertransference is defined as redirection of a therapist's feelings toward a client, or more generally as a therapist's emotional entanglement with a client. A therapist's atonement to his own countertransference is nearly as critical as his understanding of the transference. Not only does this help the therapist regulate his or her own emotions in the therapeutic relationship, but it also gives the therapist valuable insight into

The first time I personally experienced attending a group therapy was part of my course. Through this experience i can say that group therapy can be very powerful in healing a person emotionally and since the members were from the same class, where we all have similar goals. Group therapy helped all of us to establish meaningful and intimate relationship and we also recognised commanality of members needs and problems and to develop a sense of bonding and we became very close and we could also be there for each other during emotionally trying times.It also helped me to increase self-growth, self acceptance and self –confidence among oneself and group members. Group therapy is a powerful venue for growth and change. It also helped me in expressing my emotions in a healthy way.

In conjunction with group therapy, at least one individual session for each patient should be implemented prior to discharge. This occurrence can help move patients toward increasing self-awareness. Individual therapy allows a therapist to focus on the patient’s stressors, barriers, and intended plans after discharge in an intimate setting. Additionally, individual sessions allow for room for the patient to explore past or current concerns in a private setting without feedback in group setting. Some patients are not comfortable in group settings. This can hinder a patients progress because they lack the ability to gain insight and understanding due to the group dynamic.

Transference belongs to the client, it is the projection of both positive and negative feelings and emotions directed at the therapist but are toward someone else. One example of transference in the therapeutic environment would be if I were a counselor and I asked my client Sally, a 13- year-old female, how her day was going and her response was vague with no enthusiasm assisted by her rolling her eyes. Sally’s response might not be intentionally directed at me personally, rather the question that I asked. Transference is displayed in this example by the way Sally responds.

One of the most challenging aspects of this school program has been trying to recognize a theoretical orientation that I can identify with. Throughout the course of this class, I have discovered various aspects that have remained consistent within my personal wants and desires for group, which have allowed me to focus my attention on which approaches fit well with my style of therapy. The following will describe the key concepts of the cognitive behavioral approach; a view of the roles of the therapist and group members; key developmental tasks and therapeutic goals, techniques, and methods; and the stages in the evolution of a group. An integration of two additional theoretical orientations will also be included.

Group therapy is an important part of occupational therapy in the acute mental health setting. OTs will use a wide variety of groups, each with their own therapeutic function and objective. There are two broad (four types) categories of therapy groups used: activity based (task and social) and support based (communication and psychotherapy) (Lloyd, 2010). Task groups are end-product driven and aim to help clients develop skills. Social groups focus on encouraging social interaction and provide recreation and fun for clients. Communication groups provide a place for clients to share similar experiences. Lastly, psychotherapy groups try to shed light on individual’s problems.

Group therapy is an important method that is commonly used by psychiatric professionals in the treatment of many types of mental illnesses. They consist of three or more people and are targeted at promoting psychological development and change. There are three different types of groups. The task group works by using tasks, such as activities and techniques, designed to help clients work toward desired goals. In addition, midrange groups work by allowing clients to share their thoughts and feelings with others who have learned to cope with similar problems over a longer period of time. Lastly, process groups work by allowing clients to work on their communicating patterns, skills and methods (Fortinash & Holoday Worrett, 2008).

The identification and interpretation of transference is a cornerstone of psychodynamic therapy. Through the linking of the here and now interactions of client and therapist with experiences from the past, transference interpretations can often serve as a valuable tool for insight and change.

Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.

Group counseling not only allows for members to learn from their therapist, it also allows for them to learn from personal experiences of other members and to gain insights and ideas on the issues they are confronting. Group counseling also helps in improving social skills among the members as they are able to interact freely in and out of the group. This way members can be more confident and open to interactions during the sessions. Group therapy influences growth and change to those involved. Also, it increases their self-awareness and enables them to gain sustenance from each other. Group counseling is also favorable to the therapist as they are able to gain faster and more efficient results for their members by counseling them simultaneously rather than one at a time. Jacobs, Mason, Harvill and Schimmel (2012) describe group counseling

If the client feels “safe” in the session, this can be very powerful for them. As sessions occur, the client will feel more comfortable in trusting the clinician with their feelings, attitudes and emotions. The client is able to present their needs and problems in ways that only they can express. Another factor that may resonate in the sessions may include transference and counter-transference. Transference is when the client’s attitudes, feelings and emotional conflicts from past events begin to be directed to the therapist, while Countertransference is exactly the opposite, when the therapist’s attitudes, feelings, and emotional conflicts from the past are directed towards the client (Transference and Countertransference, 2011). There are not too many positive factors with Countertransference, except being able to recognize it, when it exists, and be able to work out any conflict. A client’s experiences can affect their feelings, emotions, and behaviors towards their therapist. If the therapist remains their professionalism, and sets the proper limits and boundaries, a client can work through past experiences that are affecting their functioning. In a lecture, it is the role of the counselor to recognize the client’s experience; reflect and process the client’s emotional state, as well as process their own emotional reactions to clients and their issues. When clients can work through their problems from past

Last year I learned about another model of group therapy by Bruce Tucker, who studied group dynamics. He had a four stage process: forming, storming, norming, and performing. I believe my group is in the norming stage in which we are able to connect, disclose, and go deeper into the things that are bothering us. This is a great connection and cannot be explained in any other group in my life. I feel like I can be myself and that no one who judge me or negatively attack/criticize me. This is why I am happy with this experience and this course overall. It is a unique experience that many do not get to be a part of and I am very happy to be a part of it. I cannot wait to be on the other side of the group in a facilitator or co-facilitator

Transference-focused psychotherapy (TFP) is a treatment for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). TFP’s goal is to address the defense mechanisms that prevent realistic and integrated representative dyads of the self and others. A dyad is something that consists of two elements. For instance, an NPD patient’s internal dyad of their grandiose self and their devalued other. TFP combines an NPD patient’s external life with their unconscious processes. TFP is administered twice a week.