Approaches to Clinical Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Approaches to Clinical Psychology - Essay Example Most individuals are familiar with Freud’s characterization of the personality as differentiated into three categories of ego, super-ego, and id. When considering the relevancy for this personality theory for psychodynamic counseling it’s important to note that Freud believed that the conscious elements represented by the ego in certain situations experienced cognitive overload resulting in repression as a protective mechanism. Psychodynamic counseling treatment functions by determining the patient’s underlining malaise as rooted in the complex interaction of conscious and unconscious forces governing the individual’s actions. Once the forces governing the patient’s behavior have been identified, the therapy then functions to develop a functional response to the issue. As one might infer, while the process can be implemented through quick and direct methods, psychodynamic therapy usually occurs through the long-term and methodical investigation of t he patient. A number of objections have surfaced in response to psychodynamic therapy that has largely marginalized it as a therapeutic approach. One of the most prominent is the general rejection of many of Freud’s theories as largely unscientific, as their assumptions are predicated on untestable hypotheses (Corey 1991).