Individual Counseling | Approach

 Folktown Counseling is a psychodynamic practice, we utilize a contemporary relational approach of psychotherapy that is informed by the psychoanalytic tradition.

 A tradition more than a technique… different types of therapists and counseling services all within the same tradition

We view Psychodynamic therapy as more of a tradition than a specific technique. Examples of a technique might be EMDR, Mindfulness or Lifespan Integration. However these type of therapy interventions are all based on themes that originate from a larger psychological tradition. A psychodynamic therapist can utilize any variety of techniques but they do so from a contextual understanding of that tradition.

The Psychoanalytic Tradition

The Psychoanalytic tradition dates back to Sigmund Freud in late 1800s, and evolves through the mid century with theorists like Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott to eventually arrive at the contemporary work of writers like Karen Maroda and Nancy McWilliams. The many theorists that span this roughly 100 year tradition have all contributed to the field of psychology, providing perspectives that range from Ego Psychology, Object Relations Theory, Attachment Theory, Person Centered Therapy and Contemporary Relational Psychotherapy. It is worth noting that most counseling approaches today actually stem from this tradition (an example being Cognitive Behavioral Therapy founded by Aaron Beck who, himself, was an analyst).

The emergence of relational psychodynamic therapy

In the late 1800’s therapy was initially individualistic oriented, an example being the therapist would often sit behind their client to better allow free association. But by the mid 1900’s therapy had evolved to more a didactic (two person) process where the therapeutic relationship became a valuable part of the treatment.

The emergence of a focus on relationships started as early as 1935 when Melanie Klein began to study the formative parental relationships in infants and Rene Spritz (a Freudian analyst) began to observe the effects of orphaned children. By the 1950’s British Object Relations theorists would further this work and by the 1970’s  John Bowlby and Mary Answorth developed their concept of attachment theory. Shortly thereafter terms such as Relational Psychotherapy Person Centered Therapy or Contemporary Relational Psychodynamic Therapy, began to emerge from a more relational style of therapy.

Person Centered Therapy

Relational perspectives in psychotherapy continued to emerge in the mid century. One of the more familiar relational perspectives was Rogerian Therapy or Person-Centered Therapy.  Carl Rodgers (1940s-80s) shifted the therapeutic focus more towards encouraging growth and development of a client than just the treating of their symptoms. Rogers was also responsible for the term “counseling” for which Folktown Counseling takes its name.  Hallmarks of Rogers’s person-centered therapy include: living in the present rather than the past or future; organismic trust; naturalistic faith in one’s own thoughts and accuracy in one’s feelings; a responsible acknowledgment of one’s freedom; and a view toward participating fully in our world and contributing to other peoples’ lives. This mid century emphasis in psychology helped establish therapy as a useful process for everyone – not just those with an debilitating illness.

Psychodynamic vs Psychoanalytic… what’s a good definition of psychodynamic therapy?

A modern definition of psychodynamic is a therapy that is informed by the psychoanalytic tradition, but with more flexibility. Some examples of this might be that a psychodynamic therapist typically holds to a consistent frequency of weekly therapy, as opposed to the 2-3 times a week (required by traditional analysis). And while a psychodynamic therapist is not required to go under analysis they are encouraged to remain in their own personal therapy (and/or consultation) while practicing with patients. This allows the therapist to experience being a patient as well as a therapist for others. Similar to analysis, a psychodynamic approach pays close attention to the unconscious patterns that emerge in therapy in order to help clients gain a better understanding of themselves and others. The emergence of transference and counter-transference in therapy (what the client or therapist feels toward the other) is often utilized psychodynamic work (similiar to analysis) to shed meaningful light on how a client interacts with others.

A psychodynamic therapist is one who is aware of the rich psychological history of the last 100 years and honors the deep themes of its traditions.

What conditions does a psychodynamic therapist treat?

Psychodynamic therapy is useful in treating most mental health disorders. It is often used in the treatment of depression, anxiety, panic disorder, relationship conflicts, disordered eating, sexual dysfunction, PTSD, addiction and adjustment disorders.

Are some mental health conditions better served by other types of therapists?

Some mental health conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, acute eating disorders, acute alcoholism or drug addiction may require more of a cognitive behavioral approach when acute and/or present with safety concerns. Other conditions such as acute bipolarity or Schitzophrenia may require a psychiatrist to prescribe medications but treatment is often improved when accompanied with therapy. DBT (a version of CBT) has been significantly helpful in borderline personality disorder.