PRINCIPLES And RULES Of Effective PSYCHOTHERAPY

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

The decision to go to a psychoanalyst can be life-changing and change your life for the better.

However, those who hope for easy and instant results may be disappointed, since we are talking about the psyche of an adult, which has been formed over many years and it is possible to achieve quality changes in its functioning only through painstaking and sometimes difficult work.

The task of the psychoanalyst is to accompany and guide the client in this process.

The professionalism of a specialist plays a huge role, but even the most experienced psychoanalyst cannot help you unilaterally. For effective interaction, you need the desire and BILATERAL cooperation of both the client and the psychologist.

To increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy, it is necessary to adhere to several rules and principles of cooperation, then the process can be significantly accelerated and the result will not take long.

After making a decision to contact a specialist, you should make an appointment, having previously agreed on the time and method of meeting.

This can be done in several ways: write a letter, a message, or just call.

Initial consultation can take place in two ways:

• personal meeting in the office of a specialist;
• online communication via Skype, Viber, Messenger, Direct.

The psychologist PERSONALLY accepts calls from clients and answers messages, since this is a very important moment of communication, however, the answer usually takes some time, since the specialist can work, but he will always get in touch as soon as he can.

At the introductory meeting, all the points of interest to the client are discussed, after which it is possible to agree on cooperation on the agreed terms. This is how an oral agreement is concluded between the client and the specialist, that is, certain rules and principles of interaction are fixed, which are observed by both parties throughout the entire joint work.

Compliance with certain agreements makes it possible to quickly form a psychotherapeutic ALLIANCE, which contributes to an increase in the effectiveness of therapy and its acceleration.

Basic rules and principles of psychoanalytic work:

• CONFIDENTIALITY - everything that happens is ONLY between the client and the psychoanalyst. The name is changed and all the data that can identify the analyst. The specialist does not have the right to disclose any information that may directly or indirectly indicate the disclosure of the client's identity, if the latter did not give his consent to this. This principle is indefinite, it is respected even after the end of the work.
• FREE ASSOCIATIONS - this is the main method of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, when the client says everything that comes to mind, formulated by Z. Freud and tested by more than 100 years of psychoanalysis practice and psi specialists in various fields.

The method of "free association" is used both in the position of sitting in a chair opposite each other at the first sessions (face-to-face), and so on, when the patient is on the couch, and the specialist is next to him, sitting in a chair, but always slightly shifting back so that the meeting of glances is excluded, since the “eye to eye” position complicates the emancipation of consciousness (this is a truth, no doubt, known to even the most ancient confessors). Then the patient is invited to relax and at the same time focus on his condition and his inner experiences, their verbal description and interpretation.

At the same time, the therapist's task is to skillfully direct the patient's efforts to create such an atmosphere of communication when his story is absolutely not restrained by anything and passes completely calmly, freely, since only in this case it becomes possible to identify "blocked" thoughts, desires and attraction.

Compliance with this rule makes it possible to effectively work with the client's unconscious, which has an impact on the entire conscious part of the psyche. The patient is invited to say everything that comes to his mind, without hesitation, including any absurdities, utter nonsense, "oddities" and even obscenities, not at all embarrassing himself in expressions. Naturally, not everyone succeeds in this at once.

And, analyzing the practice, one should pay attention that before the presentation of the most intimate or most “forbidden” thoughts, the “core” of the problem, social (cultural and moral) control, “censorship”, a prohibition is triggered, which is regulated by conscience, an instance of psychic self-regulation of the Super-I …

To overcome this resistance, there is the following rule.

NEUTRAL - nonjudgmental judgments and acceptance of everything said in the office. The concept of NORM is absent in psychoanalysis. There is no distinction between “bad” or “good”, only the emotional and mental state of the client, his mental reality and vision of the situation are important. The psychoanalyst works without lectures, without directive advice and directions

This approach makes it possible to create a space for confidential communication, open up and touch a deep problem, find a way out and a way to cope.

An individual approach is very important.

INDIVIDUALITY - each case and history of a person is unique, this is an important aspect of work. There is no one approach or theory for all situations. Each person has gone his own way of forming the psyche and his personality is special. Even in cases of group psychotherapy, this principle remains one of the fundamental

SESSIONS involve VERBAL communication and can be face-to-face (in the psychoanalyst's office) or in online format, written communication with a specialist is also possible

The duration of one session is 50 minutes.

If you are late for the session, the session time is reduced by the time of the delay.

TIME and METHOD of meetings are determined and established at the initial stage to maintain the stability and CONSISTENCY of the process

The issue of money and payment is also therapeutic and often exhibits many important aspects of the structure of the psyche and the way of interacting with others.

PAYMENT - a working alliance is verbally formed between the client and the psychoanalyst, which involves interaction on a paid basis. These payment arrangements can be negotiated and adjusted on the fly

IMPORTANT!

Sessions canceled in less than a day are paid in full, since this is of particular importance and can always be discussed at sessions.

The process of psychotherapeutic work has certain stages and features associated with the dynamics of changes in the psyche and personal transformations.

That is why ENDING - termination or interruption of work is ALWAYS discussed together. For this, 2-3 final sessions are allocated. IT IS FORBIDDEN to voluntarily quit psychotherapy without holding a final meeting, since during the work the psyche undergoes regression and processes occur, the dynamics of which must be stopped and completed in a proper way

At the time of working with a specialist, a preliminary DISCUSSION about the stipulation of all vital and fateful decisions, actions and actions is strongly recommended.

Compliance with the above principles and rules makes it possible to form a stable psychoanalytic setting and contributes to the normal course of the psychotherapeutic process.

If you are here, you are on the right track!

Give yourself the opportunity to change your life!