Psychodynamic Case Scenario

For this discussion, watch the video: Psychodynamic Case Scenario. Use the information in the scenario to answer the following questions:

• To what extent does Mallory’s behavior in this interview exemplify transference (see Chapter 12)?
• To what extent does Dr. Santos’ behavior during the session influence your judgment regarding Mallory’s behavior as transference?
• If it is transference, what, exactly, is Mallory transferring? From whom, might you speculate, is she transferring it?
• If it is transference, and Dr. Santos is a psychodynamic psychotherapist, what is an ideal way for Dr. Santos to handle it? What if Dr. Santos was a humanistic psychotherapist, would she handle this situation differently?
• Describe several of the defense mechanisms. (Please select several that have not all been described already by other students if possible.) Do any of those you described seem to be applicable to Mallory? How so?
• How could the stages of change model be applied to this situation?

Reading and Resources

Please read the following chapters in your text:

• Chapter 12: “Psychodynamic Psychotherapy”
• Chapter 13: “Humanistic Psychotherapy”

Chapter 12 discusses the Psychodynamic School of Psychotherapy and the theories upon which it is based: accessing the unconscious, stages of psychosexual development, transference, resistance, and defense mechanisms. You will also read about additional contemporary forms of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Chapter 13 introduces you to the Humanistic School of Psychotherapy and its central concepts: self-actualization, unconditional positive regard, congruence, empathy, and genuineness. You will also read about contemporary related approaches including Existential and Gestalt psychotherapy.

Practice the concepts covered in this unit by completing the Unit 7 Key Terms Activity.

Web Resources

Read the following articles:

• The psychoanalytic view of alcoholism
• In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors

The first is a very brief article that gives you a flavor of the kind of perspectives that psychodynamic therapists consider in working with a client who is addicted.

The second is an amazing article that will teach you about the Prochaska Model of Change, a powerful understanding of motivation for change and how it ebbs and flows as you successfully move through the process of change. You will learn about how to assess where your client is in the stages of change as well as what kinds of interventions help the most at each stage in the process of change.

This article is challenging to read and you do not need to read every word. Instead, focus on the following sections:

• “Stages of Change” (pp.1102–1104)
  • Focus on the descriptions for: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, and Maintenance.
• “Spiral Pattern of Change” (pp.1104–1105)
  • What led the authors to decide that change is a spiral process?
• “Mismatching Stage and Treatment” (p.1106)
  • Make sure you understand this section, as it is about resistance in therapy.
• Review Table 1 (p.1108)
  • This covers many “Interventions” that help the client to change.
• Review Table 2 (p.1109)
  • This indicates which interventions tend to be most effective at each stage of change.
• “Integrative Conclusions” (pp. 1110–1112)

Please watch the PsychotherapyNet video: Time-Limited Dynamic Psychotherapy (TLDP) with Hanna Levenson Video.

Journal Articles

Please review the Library Guide for a list of articles to read for this unit. These have been selected from various academic journals, all of which can be found in the Purdue Global Library. Though they are not required to complete the coursework for this unit, they will be helpful for anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of clinical psychology.

TEXTBOOKS

Pomerantz, A. M. (2014). Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Culture Third Edition: DSM-5