Psychoanalytic Counselling Approach to a Case Study - COU102A

This case study explores the application of the psychoanalytic approach, founded by Sigmund Freud, to address the issues faced by Joel, a 36-year-old man seeking counselling. The theory focuses on deciphering early childhood experiences and their impact on later life, particularly in conjugal and family relationships. The analysis delves into the unconscious mind (Id), repressed trauma, and the influence of early family dynamics, particularly the loss of his mother and the struggles of his father, on Joel's current psychological state. The proposed therapeutic strategies involve revealing repressed memories, therapeutic transference, and addressing negative emotions through techniques like psychodynamic psychotherapy, supportive psychotherapy, and motivational interviewing. The goal is to help Joel understand his negative thoughts, realize his worth, and develop a healthier family life by resolving unconscious conflicts and promoting emotional expression and catharsis. The approach emphasizes the importance of past experiences in shaping present behaviors and utilizes techniques such as free association and dream analysis to facilitate change.

Running head: PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH TO COUNSELLING
PSYCHOANALYSIS APPROACH TO COUNSELLING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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This theory has been founded upon a treatment philosophy proposed by Sigmund Freud.
The primary reason why this theory have been identified for addressing the issues that Joel have
been facing in life is that this theory tends to decipher the dreadful experiences of early
childhood. Furthermore Lin et al. (2017), professes that it also relates to the impact that the
dreadful experiences of early child life can have in the latter stages of their life, particularly in
their own conjugal and family life. There are few basic assumptions of this theory upon which
the entire foundation of this theory rests. In case if any real life situation matches the criteria of
these assumptions the theory can be used to analyse and remedy the concerned issues.
The first assumption is that psychological problem related to Joel’s married life is laid in
his unconscious self. The theory also professes that the psychological problems are caused due to
the dreadful memories that are preserved in the unconscious mind of the person. Secondly, this
theory holds that the manifest symptoms of psychological problems are the reflections of the
“latent” disturbances. Evidently, the cause of Joel’s psychological problems is the same. Joel
preserved the memory of dreadful consequences of the failures of married life (his parents) in his
unconscious mind (the part of the brain called Id). These memories started to tell upon his
conscious mind when he became deeply engrossed with his own married life and particularly
after getting deeply engaged with parenthood. Another substantial cause of psychological
disarrangement is unresolved repressed trauma. The family problems that he had to face in his
early life had intensified during his adolescence and youth. Hence according to the views of
Marcus (2016), such incidents have maximum impact upon the mind when a person is in the age
group of 14 to 21 (Watts et al. 2017). This influence upon the brain of an individual and the
consequences that are rooted to it acre known as repressed trauma. Again, Sigmund Freud in this
theory of psychology professes that the exposure to family violence or differentiation from

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parenthood in this early stage of life results in the development of a situation called repressed
trauma. Joel was the victim of the same instance so this assumption fits appropriately with Joel’s
case.
The fourth assumption of this theory speaks of the possible means of treating such cases.
Most rehabilitation centres aims at bringing pout the repressed conflict in them mind of the
individual by means of recreating the same scenario in real life (lumenlearning.com, 2018).
There are supposed to be three approaches of dealing with the Joel. The ulterior motive is
realising which part of his memory is resisting him from enjoying his parenthood and conjugal
life. Depending upon the severity of the influence upon him, his therapeutic sessions would vary.
The first strategic plan is to help Joel reveal whatever is laden in his mind without any constraint
or any hindrance. Without the need to fear any situation or circumstance Joel needs to clarify the
thoughts that have been occupying him for so many years in his life. This would make him
lighter as well as provide his care providers a direction to his illness. In alignment to the theory,
another strategy applicable is therapeutic transference (verywellmind.com, 2018). It is necessary
that Joel’s thoughts and perceptions related to his father be transferred. This involves over
possession of his dark memories with the memories of some of the brightest phase of his life.
A psychologically distressed patient is generally exhibits introversion in discussing his
distressed childhood before everyone. His doomed memories remains concentrated in the brain.
A mother is a major part of the development of the psychology of a child. In absence of the
mother, a child becomes disillusioned from various aspects of the childhood
(theconversation.com, 2018). On top of that Joel was bereaved of the father’s affection also. His
father worked hard to earn for his family. However, parenthood became a burden for him and

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Joel as a child was miserably distressed. The three alternate analytical chambers of his brain had
perceived his childhood misery from three perspectives. The psychoanalytical theory proposes
that the brain interprets any incident from three points of view. These are Id, ego and superego.
Id is the part which perceives the delicate and sentimental side of any incident. The bereavement
of the mother and the love of his farther prevented him in the way of loving back others (who.int,
2018). This caused a major issue when the time of his parenthood arrived. He could not be an
ideal father since the harsh memories of not receiving a parent’s love dwindled his thoughts. His
prevented him from loving back his child. Ego is the dominant part of the brain that helps a
human being to keep his daily actions in syntax with the real world. His Super-Ego prompted
him to escape his father and find respite in his own family. Accordingly, he forced himself to
lead a normal family life for few years. However the presence of the Ego gives a person the
capability to balance his Id and superego.
As a counsellor the major focus should be on restricting the patient to recollect any of his
parts memories during any quarrel or argument. Another approach that might suggest to be
fruitful for this case is the approach of helping Joel to get rid of the negative emotions that
conjures up his mind and possesses his Id. In his regular life Joel undergoes symptoms like
anxiety, palpitation and panic, OCD and other stressed situations (nhmrc.gov.au, 2018). There is
ample chance that the counsellor would apply Psychodynamic psychotherapy. This involves two
to three sessions every week, when Joel would engage in an interactive interview with the
counsellor about his past life. It is evident that he would become impulsive when sharing the
most dreaded memories. In that context, the Supportive psychotherapy can be applied on Joel.
The counselor would use the controversial style of debating with him to make him realise that his
past is a spent game and he have to live with his family. Other approaches like motivational

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interviewing can also be beneficial as counseling methods. However, as evident in the case
study, Joel’s depression is in the initial phase only. Argumentative style of counselling is
implacable on him and by these methods he stands to be completely cured of his depressions and
lead a healthy family life.
The chosen approach of counseling based on Psychoanalysis theory is appropriate for
Joel as it focuses majorly on transforming the problematic feelings and thoughts of the client. In
Joel’s case, the problematic feelings and thoughts are related to his unhappiness at his life despite
the positives. The psychoanalytic approach takes into account the childhood and past experiences
of the client in order to understand their current behavior (Hurry, 2018). In Joel’s case, it is
evident that his concern with parenthood and having control over his life comes from his past
and childhood experiences with his father. Psychoanalysis therapy is mostly used for people who
suffer from depression and anxiety that result from emotional struggles and trauma. Joel had to
go through emotional trauma when his mother passed away when he was just 12 years old. This
led to the emotional struggles he later had to confront as his father was unable to cope with the
death of his wife and succumbed to alcoholism. With the help of the psychoanalytic therapy, the
counselor would be able help Joel express his troubles openly. He would be able to find solutions
to the unresolved unconscious conflicts that had occurred in his childhood. During his childhood,
Joel never had a close relationship with his father and he had to look after himself. This made
him a rebel during his teens as he himself describes. He somehow managed to settle down in his
life with a well-to-do job and a family. However, his past experiences overwhelmed his present
ability as he began to feel conscious about himself and his capabilities of becoming a good
father.

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The psychoanalysis therapy uses techniques like catharsis, dreams, resistance,
confrontation and interpretation along with other interventions that helps the client relieve their
tensions. The counselor or therapist establishes a strong bond with the client to create an
environment of trust that the client never had in his past like Joel. The therapy also includes
transference as a technique by which Joel would be able to transfer his emotions of the present,
which is far satisfying than his past and elevate himself. As discussed in the previous sections,
the theory of psychoanalysis involves studying the psyche and it is the most essential thing while
treating someone like Joel. Psychoanalytic therapies thus give added importance to the past
experiences of the clients that influence their present behaviors. The ‘id’, as defined by Freud,
controls all the primary source of an individual’s personality. It is that part of the mind that
includes the main cause of psychic energy. The id struggles to tolerate tensions and seeks an
outlet to release the tension as it is evident in Joel’s case. Therefore, the psychoanalytic treatment
is apt for Joel to come out of his current troubled mental condition. Joel needs to develop a
deeper indulgence of him, realize his worth and learn to control his negative thoughts.
The psychoanalytic treatment involves various techniques by which counselors assist
their clients to recover from the emotional pain and other problems. The techniques include
motivation for treatment, free association, interpretation, dreams, transference, confrontation and
working through amongst others. The free association technique makes use of unprompted word
association where the client is asked to say whatever that comes to his mind after the counselor
says a word. This helps the counselor to interpret the meanings by which he could understand the
kind of therapy the client needs (Tschacher, Junghan & Pfammatter, 2014). Dream technique is
used to unearth the reserved feelings that might be concealed in symbols appearing in the client’s
dream. The counselor helps the client find the significance of those symbols. The technique of

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transference finds that the client sometimes transfers his childhood emotions toward a parent into
his partner during adult life. Similar has happened in Joel’s case but this time, he finds himself in
his father’s situation as he feels his job is suffering due to his commitment towards his family.
The two techniques that could facilitate change in Joel’s behavior thus are analysis and
interpretation of transference and free association. At first, the counselor would indulge Joel in
the treatment through free association (Huber et al., 2013). In this intervention, Joel will be asked
to say anything that comes to his mind when he hears a word. The word will be given by the
counselor after which Joel will speak on it. This will allow the counselor to unearth the
concealed meaning of Joel’s feelings, his conflicts and motivations and not only the surface
content. Termed as “listening with the third ear”, this therapy would aid the counselor in
understanding the unconscious thoughts of Joel (Zimmermann et al., 2015). Further, the therapy
would also work as the ground from which the counselor could establish a good relationship with
Joel to ensure a smooth treatment.
The next effective intervention for Joel to help him change his behavior and negative
thoughts is transference. Transference, as already explained, refers to the transfer of emotions the
client has toward his parent to the counselor or his life partner (Bliss & McCardle, 2014).
Although transference could be both negative and positive, it is an effective method to treat
clients like Joel. The negative side of transference is that Joel might develop hostile behavior
towards the counselor by transferring the emotions of his father. On the positive side, he might
transfer the emotions he had for his mother. Through transference, the counselor will be able to
bring out the suppressed conflicts, desires and emotions within Joel and release him of the
burden he had been carrying (Gelso, Palma & Bhatia, 2013). It will help Joel have access to the
feelings and emotions that were inaccessible until now. With the help of transference, the

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counselor will be able to bring out those parts of the client’s life, which would otherwise have
been kept hidden. The counselor would then analyze Joel’s reactions and responses during
transference and then evaluate the best treatment for him.
Other interventions could also be effective in Joel’s case but the two techniques
mentioned above are easy to conduct and very effective as well. These techniques establish a
direct connection with the client’s emotions and help him recover and feel better about himself
again.

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References:
Bliss, S., & McCardle, M. (2014). An exploration of common elements in dialectical behavior
therapy, mentalization based treatment and transference focused psychotherapy in the
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Gelso, C. J., Palma, B., & Bhatia, A. (2013). Attachment theory as a guide to understanding and
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psychology, 69(11), 1160-1171.
Huber, D., Henrich, G., Clarkin, J., & Klug, G. (2013). Psychoanalytic versus psychodynamic
therapy for depression: A three-year follow-up study. Psychiatry: Interpersonal &
Biological Processes, 76(2), 132-149.
Hurry, A. (2018). Psychoanalysis and developmental therapy. In Psychoanalysis and
developmental therapy (pp. 32-73). Routledge.
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Marcus, S. (2016). Freud and the Culture of Psychoanalysis: Studies in the Transition from
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