PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY: Accredited Certification

As you have learned from our previous lectures, the Unconscious plays an important part in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PP). In this lecture, we will attempt to get a general idea of ‘Consciousness Vs the Unconscious’ without direct reference to PP. What do we mean when we say ‘consciousness’ and ‘the Unconscious’, and how they relate to psychotherapy in general? See you in our class!

During our previous lectures, we have learned a great deal about the role of 'the unconscious' in psychotherapy. The topic of 'the unconscious' is fascinating as we are still gathering information and trying to put pieces of this puzzle together in the light of neuropsychology and quantum physics, with the aim of understanding both ‘consciousness’ and ‘the unconscious’.
In this lecture, we will talk about the origins of the term ‘the unconscious’, the notions and ideas of Sigmund Freud that are related to these topics, and how Psychodynamic Psychotherapy works with ‘the unconscious’ in 'today's therapy'.

Defence (‘defense’ in US) mechanisms are a great interest of many psychologists and people who are interested in psychology. Why do we use psychological defences? We all do, and the reason for that is 'to protect ourselves from psychological suffering'.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy brings other reasons for using defence mechanisms which will be discussing in our lecture here. Also, we will have a look at the original ideas for ‘defence mechanisms’ and how they differ from those that we use today.

From our previous lecture you have learned what ‘defence mechanisms’ (DM) are, how they are used, and what we can do about them. In the previous lecture we have learned about one of the most commonly used DM called ‘denial’ and that it involves ‘blocking external events from awareness’ and is characterised by refusal to accept reality or fact. In this lecture we will be talking about ‘repression’ which is another very common DM and which was proposed by Sigmund Freud.

So let’s get back to our class and learn about ‘repression’!

In this section of the course you are learning about various 'defence mechanisms', and now you know that those are used by the mind to protect the person from negative experiences such as memories of distressing events, feelings that bring depression or anxiety, and just general unease.
In this lecture we will continue discussing defence mechanisms and specifically we’ll focus on one that is called ‘rationalisation’.

Welcome back to our class and to our next topic on ‘Reaction Formation’, yet another interesting defence mechanism that originated in the Freudian times. As in the previous lecture, we will have a look at the various definitions at first, and at several examples where ‘reaction formation’ is often used afterwards.

At the end of this lecture you will know enough about 'Reaction Formation' so that you can recognise and observe it in others whenever you come across it!

Throughout this section of the course you have been learning about various types of defence mechanisms and now you know ‘when’ and ‘why’ people use them. We use defence mechanisms for many reasons, but mainly it is done in order to protect our mind from negative experiences, where our ‘ego’ can be safe and not feel threatened, where our identity is ‘stable’ and doesn’t give us ‘neuroses’, where we feel that we live in agreement with our values and beliefs.

'Displacement' is yet another interesting technique that we use in our repertoire of ‘defence mechanisms’. As we were saying earlier, we use defence mechanisms in order to protect our mind from unwanted and/or negative feelings and behaviour.

As with other defence mechanisms, ‘displacement’ is used in order to regulate emotions, so there is a specific purpose in all the defence mechanisms that we are studying here. Let’s talk about ‘displacement’ in more detail in our class!

In this lecture we will be discussing the next defence mechanism which is called ‘regression’. As with the most defence mechanisms, ‘regression’ originated during the Freudian times and has become viewed as common and natural occurrence. It quickly became clear that 'regression' can be a cause of dissatisfaction with life and certain psychological disorders such as neuroses and psychosis.

Regressive behaviour can be expressed in different ways, from simple gestures and actions to more complex and dysfunctional which can cause problems in daily life and/or psychological issues. Let’s look at ‘regression’ in more detail in our class!

‘Sublimation’ is the final defence mechanism that we are studying at this section of our course and before proceeding to the topics on ‘therapeutic relationship’, ‘goal setting in therapy’ and so on. ‘Sublimation’ may seem as a complex term that it’s hard to grasp but through many examples and definitions you will be able to truly understand it and observe it in others around you. See you in our class!

If you are my long-term student and took my other courses, then you would know a great deal about the importance of 'therapeutic relationship' as I have talked about it in my other courses. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about this topic though, as we are going to cover everything you need to know in our next video lecture. See you there!

How do we provide a safe therapeutic environment for the client? It might occur to you that therapy sessions almost always take place in an office environment, which can be seen as an 'ideal' place for therapy. However, at times therapy takes place ‘outside of the office’, for example in hospitals and hospices amongst others.

In this lecture we will talk about several factors that could be essential to consider for creating therapeutic environment for your client.

In this lecture we will be discussing the topic of ‘informed consent’ and its relevance to psychotherapy. For example, whether we need to gain formal consent and make the client to sign certain papers or not, what ‘consent’ represents, what risks and benefits it imposes for both the therapist and the client, when is the right time to introduce ‘consent’ to the client, and whether it can be done as ‘verbal’ instead of ‘written’. See you in our class!

During this lecture you will be prompted to think about 'what kind of boundaries are essential to consider' when we talk about therapy treatments; what is considered as 'boundary' in therapy; what you need to ensure to put in place from day 1, and much more! See you in our class!

What would you start your first therapy session with? For example, you may start with introducing yourself and getting to know your client. You can ask them 'where they live', 'what’s their cultural background', 'if they have pets', and whether they had therapy before. The first session can include both: a short introductory session and an assessment of your client, where you create a full picture of your client for yourself. Perhaps you don’t really need to know whether they have pets and where they live, but what do you really need to know? This is what we will be talking about at this lecture. See you in the class!

What does come to your mind when you hear ‘goal setting’?

An office of busy people loudly discussing 'aims' and 'goals' of their company? Or a person who is sitting and quietly planning their next month, 6 months or 'a year' ahead?

Do you like setting your own goals for the nearest future or you dislike this process entirely?

And lastly, do you think that 'therapy' and 'goal setting' are two almost contradictory terms that should not be put in one sentence?

Let’s talk about it in our class!

Welcome to the new section of the course where we will be discussing several 'essential qualities' that any therapist needs to have, and a few psychological mechanisms such as 'transference' and 'countertransference' (that can typically occur in any therapist’s office!

In the current lecture, however, we will be talking about the skill of listening and particularly empathic listening that is an essential element of any therapy.

In this lecture we will be talking about ‘transference’. What comes to your mind when you hear the term ‘transference’ (especially when we think of a concept of ‘therapy’)? Is it something related to ‘transferring’ own views or behaviours onto someone else? Is it about ‘sharing’ similar emotions? Or does it involve ‘transferring’ own feelings to someone who is nearby?

In this lecture you will gain answers to all of these questions and more!

Let’s continue our discussion in the class. See you there!!

In the previous lecture we were discussing the concept of ‘transference’ and now you know that in its basic sense, ’transference’ is a re-direction of emotions from one person to another. In therapy, it is a frequent occurrence when the client transfers their feelings onto the therapist who (on the unconscious level) reminds them someone from the past such as their parent or sibling. But what does happen when the therapist reacts to those re-directed feelings or emotions? This is where the term ‘countertransference’ comes into play!

See you in our class where we will continue discussing this topic!

Earlier in this course we’ve mentioned a few techniques that are used in psychodynamic psychotherapy, such as ‘free association’ and ‘dream analysis’ for example. In this section we will have a look at these techniques in a  greater detail, and how they are applicable to the 'today's therapy'.

See you in our class!

Throughout this course we have been repeating that ‘symbolism’ plays an important role in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (PP). For example, symbolism can be experienced through dreams, free association technique that we have discussed in our previous lecture, through discussing and analysing our unconscious beliefs, or through imagery that we come across as we get on with our day, or imagery that is presented in the therapy office as pictures, photos or ink blots.

We also see symbolism in magazines, on TV, on posters and even street walls. So we can also assume that 'symbolism' plays a significant role in human life. What do we mean by ‘symbolism’ in a therapeutic sense? How is 'symbolism' related to psychoanalysis and PP? Let’s discuss this in our lecture!

'Dreams' (and 'dream interpretation') is a fascinating subject for many people. Whether we are interested in 'psychology' or not, dreaming provides us with an experience of a different reality or some kind of fantasy world that we try to analyse, explain and understand.

The main source of our dreams typically involves pictures, symbols and visual scenes. Symbols and dream interpretation takes an important role in psychotherapy, and particularly psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy. How do therapist interpret the clients’ dreams? What symbolism is worth paying attention to? This is what we will be discussing in our next video! See you there!

So how does the process of dream analysis happen? Is there only one way to 'analyse' somebody else's dreams? In this part we'll have a look at 2 interesting methods of interpreting dreams.

Welcome to the new section of this course - ‘Psychodynamic Therapy: What Else You Need To Know’ where we will be exploring additional topics related to this course. For example, we’ll have a look at the number of sessions that are considered as ‘adequate’ in psychotherapy, how often they should take place, and whether ‘short-term’ or ‘brief’ psychotherapy is really enough. We will also have a look at the best ways to end therapy and how therapy can be combined with medication that is typically prescribed by psychiatrists.

So let’s proceed to our first lecture on ‘sessions: how long, how often, and how many’. See you in our class!

At times, a person may seek a 'brief' therapy treatment if, for example they have financial or time constraints, or if they feel that short-term therapy would suit them better than some 'long-term' treatment (that can last for several months or even a couple of years).

Some therapists also believe that 'brief therapy' can be very effective in many instances when it comes to treating mental health issues. In fact, many therapists specialise and practice only ‘brief therapy’. So what do we mean by ‘brief therapy’? How many sessions does it involve? Whom would it benefit? Let’s discuss this in our next video!

In this lecture we will be talking about ‘how to end therapy’ which can be a sensitive issue for both the client and the therapist alike. ‘Ending therapy’ is typically referred to as ‘termination’ and as any other ‘ending’ this can bring many negative emotions such as sadness, frustration, anger, and the feelings of abandonment. Let’s discuss this topic in a more detail in our video lecture!

Many clients of psychotherapy take prescribed medications on regular basis. This maybe for treating anxiety, depression, OCD, or any other mental health disorder.

How important is to take this fact into consideration? Do we really need to know what kind of medication our client is taking currently? Does 'medication' make any difference to the therapeutic outcome? Let’s discuss this topic in our next video! See you there!

In this short video, your tutor would like to say some parting words before you proceed to the 'bonus section' or to some other course entirely!

In this lecture we will discuss several general techniques that are widely used in psychotherapy today. Some of those 'techniques' you might be familiar with, especially if you have taken one of my other courses at this school, or if, perhaps you are familiar with some techniques from other sources. In this case you can compare ‘what you know’ with what you will be learning in this course. If this is your first course with Elmira, then enjoy learning! See you in our class!

Hello and welcome to the 2nd bonus video of this course! In this video we will be discussing several effective strategies that are frequently used in stress- and anger management workshops. We will also examine 'what kind of person is more prone' to developing stress- and anger issues, and how we can spot the symptoms of ‘stress’ and ‘burnout’ in other people. Thanks for learning with Elmira!

Hello and welcome to our new bonus video on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy!!

In this video lecture you will be learning about yet another interesting type of therapy which known as ‘Acceptance and Commitment Therapy’ (ACT). In this lecture you will find out for example, 'the ways that this type of therapy is different from any other', 'what kind of psychological disorders can be treated by ACT', 'how long this therapy can go on for', and much more! See you in our class!