I am currently undertaking research to evaluate the relevance of early life and psychodynamic ideas of unconscious communication e.g. transference and counter transference to transpersonal integrative psychotherapy. I am reminded how ground breaking the ideas of Freud was, how distasteful the language and ideas of Melanie Klein can be and how attachment theory is […]
A lot has been written about transference and counter transference from the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client. Of course we do not approach people in any walk of life as a blank sheet but rather we ‘transfer’ what we have already learned from the past to the present. However, in psychotherapy it is
I attended a weekend component of my course yesterday and today on family therapy and the use of sandtrays. It is generally held by those in the know that the birth of Family Therapy method occurred around the middle of the 1950s. It is, therefore, very recent. Previously all psychological problems were primarily seen as individual
There is a whole industry these days that is forever telling us to be mindful of what we eat and of the impact of food on our general well-being. Indeed blogs such as this one will also advocate the role of talking therapy in maintaining effective mental health. However, there is now good research
I have always thought that we are all a little obsessive and compulsive to a greater or lesser extent whether it is the checking and rechecking we do in our every day lives or the occasional intrusive thought that cause us anxiety. However, for some people the incidence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can destroy their lives
I have often wondered about the impact of role models in my life whether it be the role played by my parents, siblings, teachers, friends or other significant others. I have benefited from the insightful work of Alfred Adler, and his ideas about the birth order, especially since I am from a large family. My personal family constellations
I have been continuing with my NHS clinical placement and have been fortunate to shadow the work of one of the largest and oldest established Eating Disorders Services in the world. The service is for anyone from the age of 11 years (with no upper age limit) who are requiring assessment, care and treatment.
This week’s lecture was the concluding one on Transactional Analysis. Dr Eric Berne’s seminar group from the 1950s developed the term transactional analysis (TA) which described therapies based upon his work. This expanded into the International Transactional Analysis Association. While still largely ignored by the psychoanalytic community, many therapists have put his ideas into practice and swear by the effectiveness of
I have been continuing with my placement in an NHS Mental Health Trust and it seems that with every visit I learn something new. I had been familiar with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) before the start of my placement through my lectures and my own prior knowledge. However, this week I attended a team meeting
This week’s very interesting lecture was on Transactional Analysis (TA). When it comes to TA we have a lot to thank Eric Berne. TA is observational and is to do with time structuring. How do clients spend their time? What script are clients using? Berne believed that our script personality was established by age 7. TA is most researched
