"What type of therapy is the best therapy for me?" - Part 1

Over 500 different types of therapy are available in the UK. It can be confusing to understand what type of therapy to choose, or what type of therapy may best suit your needs.

HL Counselling and Psychotherapy provides integrative counselling and psychotherapy. Different therapy models are combined to create a unique approach tailored to your needs and challenges as a client. However, this doesn’t mean that you cannot explore and suggest your own idea of which type of therapy feels best suited to you.

Within this series of blog posts, I aim to help you better understand “what therapy is best for me?” The first part of this series will help you understand more about Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy suggests that each individual possesses 'unconscious' aspects, representing separate wants, desires, thoughts, needs, motivations, and behaviors that may not be consciously recognized. Our hidden thoughts and feelings can impact how we behave and feel without us being aware of it. This can lead to challenges in our daily lives.

Additionally, psychodynamic therapy can help individuals address suppressed traumatic experiences, often linked to feelings like shame. Through this therapy, individuals may come to recognize and accept these experiences, while also working through the associated emotions.

How does Psychodynamic therapy work?

We will talk, explore, and think about your past experiences to understand how your subconscious affects your daily life. According to psychodynamic theory, we form 'templates' to interpret and react to the world from a young age.

When we work together, we will explore recurring patterns in your life or relationships. We will also look at behaviors that feel familiar but are hard to change. During therapy, we may notice your unconscious behaviors, giving us chances to understand and discuss them together.

How Can Psychodynamic therapy help me?

Developing a self-awareness, enables you to view yours and others behaviour from a different perspective. It can aid you do develop compassion and understanding for yourself, as well as act as a place to identify, validate and process emotions and experiences you may have ignored or ‘pushed down’ as they were too difficult to acknowledge in your conscious day to day living.

 Engaging in a purely Psychodynamic approach involves long-term commitment and is not a quick solution. Nevertheless, it is an element that I typically integrate to some extent in all my work, which can also be utilized to enhance our understanding of you in shorter-term interventions.

What problems can Psychodynamic therapy help with?

Therapists typically recommend psychodynamic therapy to address deeply rooted issues, which often stem from unresolved childhood traumas or experiences.

Unprocessed childhood traumas can manifest as persistent challenges in relationships, as well as intense and overwhelming emotions like anger, sadness, anxiety, or shame. Sometimes people try short-term therapies but don't feel better or like their main problem has been fixed.

Is Psychodynamic therapy available near me?

HL Counselling and Psychotherapy provide an integrative approach to therapy, which includes Psychodynamic approach. In person appointments available at Revival Health and Wellbeing Clinic in Bawtry, Doncaster.

Online and telephone appointments available UK Wide. Enquire here, to book an appointment.