Abstract
Psychoanalytic theories that are in use today, can be credited to Sigmund Freud, whose works emanated from various psychological and physiological experiences. In a quest to make meaning out of what he experienced, Freud experimented till he discovered. Gerald Corey also added that, 'it is the views of Freud and psychoanalysis that continue to influence the contemporary practice of counseling and psychology.’ This term paper describes how counselling psychology fits into urbanization in the Ghanaian situation. It also describes how the need for innovation has compelled the American Psychology Association (APA) to setup an additional division. With urbanization taking place in Ghanaian societies and APA expanding its divisions, it is necessary to acknowledge the services of professional counselors. This paper identifies the role of psychoanalytic counselling in an urbanized society: something which also appears to be the need for APA to expand.
CHAPTER 1
Do you support the main argument for setting up the Division of Counselling
Psychology within the American Psychology Association? Give tangible reasons for your answer
Introduction
Setting up the Division of Counselling Psychology within the American Psychology Association is pretty much a good idea. Indeed, as a world-renowned organization for issues concerning psychology, it is expedient to find out what might have necessitated the establishment of such a division. Ideally, such a reputable organization should have tangible reasons for doing so. Needs assessment, pre-testing and research are vital exercises that might have triggered the need for such a division. This paper will highlight the possible factors that, in several respects, support or otherwise debang the argument for setting up the Division of Counselling Psychology.
Historically, "In 1952 the Division of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) of the American Psychological Association was formally established" (Gladding, 1988, p. 14). “Counseling psychology focuses on providing therapeutic treatments to clients who experience a wide variety of symptoms. It is also one of the largest specialty areas within psychology. The Society of Counseling Psychology describes the field as: "a psychological specialty [that] facilitates personal and interpersonal functioning across the life span with a focus on emotional, social, vocational, educational, health-related, developmental and organizational concerns." [Quoted from, about.com. – at www.psychology.about.com/od/pyschology career profiles/p/counselling-psychology.htm.]
A critical look at the definition cited above, by the Society of Counselling Psychology, indicates that this kind of psychology takes into account the life span of an individual in relation to developmental and organizational concerns. In my estimation, guided by the focus listed in the definition above, the developmental and organizational concerns could be classified into two broad areas: because the focus of Counselling Psychology is on the emotional, social, vocational, educational, and health-related issues in the life span of an individual. Social orientations, vocational and educational qualities go a long way to determine the rate or level of development of an individual. Emotional stability coupled with good health also have the potential to determine one’s organizational abilities.
According to the Gale Encyclopedia, “Counselling psychology, a specialty within the area broadly designated as applied psychology, is not primarily an entitative science but draws heavily upon the basic and applied fields of psychology and upon other behavioral sciences for its foundations (Berdie 1959). It uses concepts, tools, and techniques that are also used by other specialty groups—notably industrial and personnel, clinical, and school psychology. It is, however, most appropriately viewed as the application of psychological and behavioral science knowledge in the form of a unique personal service furnished by professional practitioners with special qualifications”
The explanation of the subject by the Gale Encyclopedia, shows that Counselling psychology uses concepts, tools and techniques. However, the APA believes that it is important for some individuals to think and plan or take decisions that will help them to be more productive in the community. Quoting from the Gale Encyclopedia, the APA identifies decisions and planning as major characteristics of Counselling Psychology.
“As such a specialty the most important characteristic of
counselling psychology is its focus on the decisions and
plans that individuals must make in order to play productive
roles in their social environments. It is irrelevant whether the
person receiving professional assistance is sick or well,
normal or abnormal, handicapped or whole—that is to say he
is a client and not a patient. In counseling psychology the
emphasis is on further development as an individual; its
concern is the identification and enhancement of possibilities
and potentialities’’ (American Psychological Association 1961).
The APA, in addition to the above, offer more characteristics on the subject They include the following:
• a primary focus on normal people;
• service that is available throughout the life span;
• emphasis on the individual’s strengths and assets;
• emphasis on cognitive elements, especially where choice and decision are involved, with rationality and reason stressed;
• the dealing with personality difficulties in the context of the total goals, plans, and roles of the individual;
Basically, counseling psychology is concerned with the choices, decisions, and plans that every individual must make, as contrasted, for example, with clinical psychology, which is largely concerned with the problems and difficulties that some individuals face (Sundberg & Tyler 1962).
A critical look at the goals of the APA with regard to the Division 17, might offer the caveat for setting up such a division. In reference to the SCUCC Spring 2011 newsletter, published by the Sections College and University Counseling Centers (SCUCC), a unit of the Society of Counselling Psychology (SCP) under the American Psychological Association (APA); there is a vision or goal with which the APA has had to set up such a Division for Counselling Psychology.
“Our organization strives to further the research, training, theory and practice of counseling psychology among counseling center psychologists. The Section goals address a variety of domains, including counseling center research, training of future psychologists, individual and group treatment of students, assessment in student populations, consulting with faculty and staff, outreach programming to campus communities, and administrative issues.” [SCUCC, Spring 2011 Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 2]. ‘The Section operates by consensus of its members and is committed to advancing the human rights of all men and women regardless of race, sexual orientation, class, nationality, gender identity, ethnicity, age, disability, or religious orientation.” [SCUCC, Spring 2011 Newsletter, Vol. 5, Issue 2].
Reasons for Setting Up Division 17
The statement above clearly demonstrates that the APA, through the SCP, have sound reasons why Division 17 is needed. The goals provide a lens for one to identify, among others, the reasons for setting up division 17. They can be listed as follows:
• the need for a counseling center research,
• the need to train future psychologists,
• individual and group treatment of students,
• assessment in student populations,
• outreach programming to campus communities,
Additional reasons were also introduced by, Aaron Krasnow, the Chairman of the SCUCC, in his article published in the SCUCC newsletter, emphasized the need for ‘Innovation’ to take the place of ‘Traditional practices’ which were outmoded.
“I contend that as long as counseling centers seek to solve traditional
problems with traditional responses focused on the problem we’ll continue
to see the same trends we’ve seen for over a decade: increased severity, increased staff turnover, and decreased funding. It’s time for us to innovate.’ Being innovative requires a Future-system and person-focused approach
which tends to lead to long-term systemic changes or brand new knowledge. Typically innovation in all fields, including those innovative counseling centers, is driven by the desire to advance the field and to meet the needs
of people (customers, clients, users, populations).” (Krasnow A. 2011)
The issue of innovation, I believe, is the main reason that necessitated the establishment of Division 17 within the APA. Krasnow’s argument is sound and makes sense because it seeks to ensure that counseling centers within the APA, eradicate traditional practices, which in several respects, have not yielded dividends. Traditional practices have not only decreased funding, but also increased severity and staff turnover.
Sections in Division 17
It is interesting to note that Division 17 contains sections representing Advancement of Women; College and University Counseling Centers; International; Promotion of Psychotherapy Science; Counseling Health Psychology; Ethnic and Racial Diversity; Independent Practice; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Awareness; Prevention; and Vocational Psychology.
CHAPTER 2
Counselling can become an important profession as Ghanaian society becomes more modern and urbanized. Discuss.
Introduction
The Ghanaian economy is growing sturdily with the aim of reaching a middle-income status by 2015. In spite of the pessimistic stands of the opposition New Patriotic Party that Ghana should attain a middle-income status in 2012. In November 2010, the statistical Department of Ghana revealed that Ghana had attained the middle-income status due to some economic indicators. Latest figures released by Ghana’s Statistical Service indicate the country’s economy stands at GH¢44 billion, 60 per cent more than earlier estimated. The country per this new figure is deemed to have attained a middle-income status. Government’s statistician, Dr. Grace Bediako told Joy Business the new figures confirm suspicions that the economy has been grossly undervalued at least for the past five years. The growth rate for 2008 shot up to 8.4 percent instead of the 7.2 percent. Ghana has the largest Per Capita Income in West Africa but 21st in the continent. [Source: Joy Online Business News of Saturday, 6 November 2010].
There is no doubt that, Ghana as a country situated in the West-African Sub-region, seeks to transform its society from an impoverished to a more developed status. Although it is made up of ten regions, it is only a few regions that tend to harbour societies with the potential to becoming modern or urbanized. In the Greater Accra and Ashanti regional capitals, the quest to urbanize the cities have been displaced by intense migration. Rural-urban migration is so alarming and out of control. Industrialisation is virtually non-existing. Many young people, move from the rural areas to the urban areas in search for greener pastures, only to realize that there are virtually non-existing jobs. Such people find themselves in desperate and helpless situations due to harsh economic conditions and societal pressure. Guidance in difficult to come by; who guides these people? How do they cope with the homelessness, starvation, illiteracy, unemployment, delusions, confusion, ignorance and survival? Children and adolescent mothers are not left out. Many turn out to fill the principal streets of the cities, as beggars and poppers. Some end up as prostitutes, house helps and head-potters, popularly known as ‘Kayayo’. Learning a vocation is great but many cannot afford the initial financial arrangements that are required for apprenticeship. Due to this, many disappointed migrants tend to resort to self-styled employment, which usually begins with acts of robbery and crime.
A few months ago, newspaper headlines captured the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s initiative to rid the streets of Accra of petty traders whose activities engulfed traffic prone areas in the metropolis. As a result, many petty traders suffered from the brutal activities of the ‘Task Force’, mandated to pursue and face out street hawking. Some were detained in jail while others suffered bruises amidst lost of valuable items when merciless operatives caught them. Currently, the AMA appears to have failed and the situation on the streets of Accra is the same.
Efforts to transform this country into a modern and urbanized society are underway, but gradually. City Authorities are using numerous approaches, yet to no avail. However, people have become victims from what may be regarded as inconsistencies within the transition period. There is the need, therefore, to ensure that victims, who have and would suffer any form of impropriety, during the transition period, must be recommended for professional counseling. If Ghana should attain a middle-income status by 2015, then it is obvious that more professional counselors might be required, due to the simple reason that lifestyles will change and such illness as stress, depression, delusion, hallucination, will double. To better understand the need for professional counselors in a growing or urbanized society, it is important to explore the very nature of urbanization and its related issues.
What is Urbanisation?
Urbanisation is defined by the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as ‘an urbanized country or area has a lot of houses, factories, shops, offices etc.’ It further explains that in an urbanized society, there are a lot of people who live and work in towns and cities. In a related issue, an urbanized society is also explained as the state of being or becoming a community with urban characteristics. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, ‘Britain became the world’s first modern urbanized society.’ The question then, should be, what is an urban society and what are the characteristics of an urban society?
‘Urban society includes the towns, cities and metros with a specific way of life. An urban society can be defined as an area having higher density of population, people engaging mostly in occupations other than agriculture and domestication of animals, having a distinct ecology and cultural different from that of the larger society’s culture.’ [Source: http://nos.org/331courseE/L. Notes on Indian Society: Tribal, Rural and Urban; Urban Society p. 46.]. Additionally, the notes also enumerates the following as characteristics of urban societies:
• Cities have a distinctive environment that is not natural but a man made environment.
• The occupation of the urban areas is mainly non-agricultural, i.e. based on manufacturing, trade & commerce, professional and government, etc.
• Cities and towns have higher density of population than the rural areas.
• People in the cities have an urban way of life. Which means they have formal interaction, impersonal behaviour, non-kingship relationships, cultural exhibitionism, passing leisure time in clubs, parks, restaurants, cinema halls or markets.
• In urban areas more social mobility is found in the sense people gradually adapt to class structure (lower, middle or upper class based on economic criteria).
Urbanized societies have peculiar social problems as well. According to the Notes on Indian Societies: Tribal, Rural and Urban (p.47), ‘urban society has several social problems such as congestion of population, slums, crime, and acute shortage of resources and facilities (such as water, electricity).’ These may be regarded as general problems but there are more specific problems.
Urbanized Societies and the Need for Professional Counsellors
Anonymity in cities is a real problem that tends to affect both individuals and groups that get involved in some form of relationship. Due to mistrust and disloyalty, many people tend to experience disloyalty, betrayal and abuse. Anonymous activities such as gossip, hear say, propaganda and unsubstantiated issues, go a long way to cast dark scare on hard earned reputations. This causes tremendous mental pressure and tension among individuals in homes, businesses, churches, schools, markets and every human institution. Due to this problem of anonymity, many people suffer from numerous physiological ailments. Guidance and Counselling professionals will have a lot more work to do as Ghana strives to attain modernism and urbanism.
Another factor, which will trigger the services of more professional counselors, is that the rural-urban drift, has compelled many young people into the cities for white-colour jobs or non-existent jobs. It is rather awesome to find that unemployment rates are very high in the urban areas. This happens because of the push and pull factor that unfortunate migrants find themselves in. ‘Push factor means that lack of employment in the villages pushes the villagers to the towns in such of jobs. Pull factor means the relative in the town invite their close people and try to give them jobs. Many helpless Migrants become frustrated and destitute. Miserably enough, there is nobody to talk to and no counselor will listen to the plight of these people and they are left to battle life’s stress in everyway possible. Professional counselors will constantly be needed for help and direction.
Furthermore, migrants who try to settle in the cities, do not have and cannot afford decent places to stay. So they generally settle down as clusters at unwarranted sites which later grow to become slums. Typical of such in Accra are ‘Sodom and Gomorah’, ‘Nima’, ‘Sukura’, and ‘Tabooline’, among others. These slum areas have become hideout for criminals, drug couriers, armed robbers, money launderers, pick pockets and swindlers. Empirical statistics, over the years have shown that crime is on the ascendancy. Unfortunately, many young adults, emanating from these slum areas, engage in heinous crime and criminal activities. The desire to live adorable lifestyles have been found to be some of the reasons why criminals engage in such practices. When they are arrested they express fears and ramous that shows how dearly, they need a counselor. They wish they had not gotten involved at all. So the need for Ghanaian prisons and places of detention, to be furnished with professional counselors to help such culprits.
Educational opportunities are also cut off from many people who migrate to the cities; especially those above eighteen years of age. Apart from migrants, ordinary pupils and students must be guided and counseled to choose carrier paths that will help prepare them to the manpower needs of industrialization that should evolve if Ghana works towards attaining a modern and urbanized society. A myriad of problems seem to engulf the educational development of children, right from cradle to the university. Some can be identified as psychological, behavioural and attitudinal problems – so severe that teachers alone are not able to cope. Other problems emanate from career choices or paths, employment opportunities, examination issues, irregularities in teaching and learning, lacks of teaching and learning resources etc. Socio-economic vices such as child labour, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, self-abuse, sexual immorality among others, are real issues that many young people, due to circumstances, engage themselves. Unfortunately, the educational sector has not seen much improvement in counselling. Many schools have no counseling centers. Tutorial sessions are not designed to help solve academic, and in some cases, personal issues bothering students and pupils. The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), has identified lack of guidance and counselling in basic schools in the Upper East Region, as a major cause of the high drop-out rate among girls in the area. The Regional Manager of ISODEC, Mr. Jonathan Adabre made this observation at a trainer of trainers' workshop, organised for Ambassador Girls Scholarship School Programme (AGSP) facilitators, managers of educational institutions and teachers drawn from Bongo, Bawku and Garu districts in the region and Walewale in the Northern Region. He explained that because of lack of guidance and counselling in many schools in the region, the career development of some school children especially girls, is not properly shaped as some of the girls get pregnant and stop schooling while the boys take onto the streets. [Source: GNA, via www.businessghana.com: Lack of guidance and counselling affecting basic schools in UER. 24th March 2010].
Professional counselors and psychoanalytic counselors, at the school and community levels, will definitely be needed to help many young people out of these issues or problems.
One problem that urbanization also authors is mental health and health related problems. General health issues affect people of all classes, especially in business, manufacturing, mining, agriculture, engineering, armed forces, air force and may more. The human resource development of an urbanized society must be preserved for short and long-term purposes. In an urbanized society, much more work will be required of the labour force at all levels and the most important thing is to preserve the level of productivity that exude from the respective labour force. Surely, such ailments as stress, hypertension, parkinson disease and other mental health related illnesses are likely to affect workers and productivity. In the last decade, HIV/ AIDS, as a dreadful disease has affected the lives of many workers and thereby affected productivity. In 1992, some 213 clients were diagnosed as HIV-positive at the Hospital. Of these, 152 clients were seen for counselling; 81 were male, including one child; 71 were female, and five of these were children. The distribution of clients seen at Holy Family Hospital is: 47 from the District, 60 from other Regions and 45 from other countries. (Marie L. Ego and Margaret Moran 1993: Health Transition Review Vol. 3, supplementary issue; HIV/AIDS counselling program: a rural Ghana experience: Holy Family Hospital, Berekum, Ghana. The national HIV prevalence suffered an increase from 1.7 per cent in 2008 to 1.9 in 2009 but experts say despite the increase, Ghana's epidemic was still on the decline. The highest prevalence rate was recorded among the 40 to 45 years and the least in the 15-19 years age group.
Prevalence among the youth between 15-24 years, used as a marker for new infection is 2.1 per cent. (Accra, March 15, GNA). These empirical data are clear indicators for one to realize that, when Ghana becomes a more urbanized society, HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is likely to increase among the workforce and therefore, there will be the need for more professional counselors to serve in such capacities.
Limitations to counselling in Ghana
In the Ghanaian context, many people think that counseling is an act of giving advice, and for that matter, people wield the perception that they are counselors because they literally can advice somebody. Due to this, many people don’t find the profession attractive enough and therefore, are not be able to appreciate the need for counselors. Today, counseling is commonly viewed as a common practice in the Church or adorned places of worship. Even fetish priests have resorted to advertising their outfits as solution centers. Though they are not professional counselors, they tend to offer some form of counseling to clients who patronize their services.
CHAPTER 3
What is the goal of counselling according to psychoanalytic approach? Describe in
detail psychoanalytic counselling techniques used in psychoanalytic counselling.
Introduction
Before a client attempts to find a psychologist that uses psychoanalytic techniques it is important to better understand this therapy style (John Culbertson, 2010). According to his article entitled Theory of Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy (eight edition), Gerald Corey, Professor emeritus of human services at California State University and a licensed psychologist, teaches that in spite of all the theories that he has postulated, ‘it is the views of Freud and psychoanalysis that continue to influence the contemporary practice of counseling and psychology.’
The statements shared by these two renowned psychoanalytic writers, indicate that Psychoanalytic Counseling is a crucial part of counseling as a profession and the tenets of it could be traced to one Austrian psychiatrist known as Sigmund Freud who in the 1940s began a study on psychoanalysis. Freud postulated a series of ideas on human behaviour and development, due to emotional problems he experienced during the 1940s. Notable among the numerous emotional problems he suffered are various illness originating from stress, phobias and dreams. Childhood experiences and sexual feelings are also flagships from which his theories evolved. Drawing from his experiences and unfavourable circumstances, Freud was able to identify and examine the deficiencies in his life. Taking a series of cues from his emotional laxities, he proposed basic assumptions for human nature, believing that humans, are basically driven by irrational forces, unconscious motives and physiological drives that mainly evolved during childhood years.
John Culbertson’s statement above places emphasis on psychoanalytic techniques and therapy. In my opinion, this is free advice for both counsellors and clients. Fact is that counselors, who are engaged in psychoanalytic counselling must endeavour to use appropriate theray to help clients. Likewise, clients must also be concerned with the kind of therapy that a counselor should adopt for utmost clinical care. But the question is, what is a therapy? Therapy may be explained as:
‘treatment of physical, mental, or behavioral problems that is
meant to cure or rehabilitate somebody or
psychoanalysis or techniques from another school of psychotherapy, intended to treat mental and emotional problems with psychological methods’ (quoted from Encarta® World English Dictionary)
This definition suggests to me that the word ‘therapy’ means, treatment of something with the purpose to cure something specific. Again psychoanalytic techniques could be used to treat illness relating to mental and emotional health. Meanwhile, there is a hole that must be plugged. That hole is psychoanalysis.
What is Psychoanalysis?
Psychoanalysis may be defined as ‘a psychological theory and therapeutic method developed by Sigmund Freud, based on the ideas that mental life functions on both conscious and unconscious levels and that childhood events have a powerful psychological influence throughout life.’ It is also called depth psychology. (Encarta® World English Dictionary). The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English also defines the subject as ‘medical treatment that involves talking to someone about their life, feelings etc in order to find out the hidden causes of their problems.’
Another definition states that, Psychoanalysis is a specific mind investigation technique and a therapy inspired from this investigation. [Quoting from www.freudfile.org]. The same source discloses that in relation to this definition, psychoanalysis may be designated in three parts:
• A method of mind investigation. And especially of the unconscious mind;
• A therapy of neurosis inspired from the above method;
• A new stand-alone discipline who is based on the knowledge acquired from applying the investigation method and clinical experiences.
Le Bach P. (2010) also defines Psychoanalysis as ‘a specific framework of techniques and procedures that therapists use to help clients access subconscious feelings and desires’.
Gleaning from the various definitions, it is clear that psychoanalysis seeks to use systematic or therapeutic techniques to investigate and solve mental and emotional problems for clients. (Gyau Y. 2011). Departing from the caveats offered for the meaning of psychoanalysis, it is important to look into the purpose of this stand-alone discipline in counseling. What could possibly be the goals of psychoanalytic counseling?
Goals of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Counselling
Before the goals of Psychoanalytic Counselling are established, it is important to look at the original goals of psychoanalysis as outlined by the theorist. According to Corey, Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalysis theory had some basic underlying goals.
• To make unconscious thoughts and memories conscious
• To reconstruct the basic personality of a client
• To assist clients in reliving earlier experiences and working through repressed conflicts
• To achieve intellectual and emotional awareness
• Additionally, Freud and psychoanalysis believe that it is important to strengthen one’s ego so that behavior will be based more in reality and not so much on the instinctual cravings that the Id wants to express.
The goals of psychoanalytic counselling are:
• to help clients become aware of their unconscious thoughts and emotions that have effected their behaviour or action;
• to help clients identify unresolved development issues, eihter, personality or psychosexual aspects, so that clients can continue with their development in a healthy way.
• also to help clients recognize ineffective ways of coping with stress they had previously adopted
• to teach clients how to cope positively with anxiety and the demands of living.
Psychoanalytic Counselling Techniques Explained
There are various techniques that a counselor can use as a tool to help clients solve their problems. Usually, Psychoanalysts listen to their clients concerns. Corey offers the following explanations for three of the key psychoanalytic techniques:
Free association technique
This technique provides the cohesive element binding together other techniques, according to Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (eigth edition) by Gerald Corey, published by Thompson in 2009. Free association technique is quite flexible because it allows the client to speak his or her mind without any ramous or favour. In this technique, ‘the client is encouraged to verbalize any arising thoughts. It does not matter which thoughts even if the thoughts seem irrelevant or illogical. This technique allows uncensored speaking which brings subconscious thoughts to the surface. Verbalized subject matter is just as important as areas not spoken about’ (Le Back Pham, 2010). The issues verbalized by the client may be silly, unimportant, rude, or painful but the psychoanalyst is required to give a listening ear. In this regard the psychoanalyst must interpret the same material (content) released by the client and then aim at leading the client to have better insights of the hidden issues. Thereby enhancing the psychology of the client.
The dream analysis
Sigmund Freud believed that ‘dreams are the royal roads to the unconsciousness’ because of the fact that so much reserved unconscious material arises within the context of dreams. According to Corey, ‘dream analysis uses interpretation to understanding the meaning behind latent and manifest content in a client’s dreams. Latent content in dreams consists of hidden, symbolic, and unconscious thoughts and feelings.’ Therefore, the therapist must work to uncover the disguised meanings that are in the dream through the study of the dream symbolism.
Analysis of resistance
Resistance in counseling is like a defense mechanism which occurs when a client, with time, become unwilling to release unconscious thoughts or issues for the counselor to explore them. The client may maintain the status quo rather that adopt to change. Resistance refers to anything that works against the progress of therapy and prevents the client from accessing unconscious thoughts and feelings, according to Corey. During counselling sessions, the counsellor may point out to the client the occurrence of resistance in reference to a particular subject matter. But this technique, in my view, is a bit unethical, since the counselor, in the event of misconduct, may encroach upon the rights of the client. A better option will be, to diligently educate the client about how the unconscious content could work better for him than oppose or resist it.
Analysing transference
This technique deals with the thoughts and feelings that are deeply rooted in the subconscious mind of the client. During the therapeutic process thoughts and feelings of the client can be transferred to the counselor. But this largely depends on the kind of relationship that the counselor and the client have established among each other. According to Corey, transference is when the client allows past relationships to affect the client’s current relationship with the therapist. According Le Back P. (2010), ‘Transference can even occur between clients and computers, because computers within our society take on human-like qualities, reported an article written by John Suler, titled Psychology of Cyberspace – Transference to Computers, published on September 27, 2009 in Selfhelp Magazine.’ What I a learning from this technique is that, it can be found in all areas involving relationships. Meanwhile, communication is one of the key determinants of a strong relationship, and communication is always between two or more people. It should be learned, then, that when people communicate more often, more attention is demonstrated to the parties involved and as a result, relationships are established and strengthened. It is interesting to note that, counsellors may be caught in this natural human act of relationship, in their quest to keep a rapport with their clients and help them. That is why during the psychoanalysis counselling process, counsellors must not, under any circumstance, present themselves as the solution to the clients problems. Neither should counsellors take advantage of the client’s vulnerability and abuse the client. Especially in cases related to marriage, divorce, relationships, self-development etc. The advantage in this technique is that is enables the client to understand the effect of hidden material on current relationships.
Interpretation & Psychoanalysis
Interpretation is another technique used for psychoanalysis. This technique seeks to explain the meaning behind the client’s behavior that is manifested in dreams and free association exercises. Interpretation also helps to understand resistance and transference issues, according to Corey. After interpreting the meanings behind unconscious material the client is able to dig deeper and uncover more unconscious thoughts and feelings.
The Purpose of Psychoanalysis
All of the techniques and processes involved in the psychoanalytic framework are aimed at uncovering and interpreting unconscious material. This gives the client and the therapist a deeper understanding of underlying motives and feelings affecting every day life. Therefore, the client and the therapist work together through this unconscious material in order to improve the client’s well-being and quality of life. the therapist works to accomplish the primary goal of bringing the unconscious into conscious awareness.
Limitations of Psychoanalytic Techniques
There are some limitations of Psychoanalytic Counselling that use the various techniques. According to Corey (2010) ‘clients who seek to be counselled through this kind of counselling must first know that such intensive therapy is both time consuming and very expensive.’
Secondly, the techniques explained above, indicate that psychoanalytic counselling is a vary delicate discipline and therefore, it must take a highly skilled and trained therapist for the techniques to be used appropriately and in a way that is truly compatible to therapy. Further more, clients with a weak ego may not be able to handle this intensive form of therapy.
Summary/ Conclusion
Discussing guidance and counselling in these specified areas connotes that it is an inevitable discipline that must be taken seriously. It was absolutely stunning to realize that the APA has created an additional division because of innovation. So that traditional practices which were expensive and time consuming could be abolished. The need for more professional counselors, have also become imperative because Ghana strives to attain a middle-income status by 2015. At a press conference organized by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural development on 13th October in Accra, it was revealed by the sector minister, Hon. Samuel Ofosu Appiah, that ‘a five-year urbanization development plan in collaboration with the Millenium Development Authority had been prepared and will be implemented shortly. That should suggest, then, that urbanization and modernization of our societies are closer to us than we thought. The government should put structures in place to train counselors to ensure a balance in urbanization.
Psychoanalytic counselors will also have a place in urbanization. Though the therapy/ techniques are expensive, the elite in an urbanized Ghanaian society, may be able to afford such specialized services. This academic, in several respects, place the counselor at the centre of urbanization, hence broadening the scope of guidance and counselling.
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