Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy:
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy involves exploration of feelings and relationships. It is not an educational enterprise like taking a class or working with a coach. Psychodynamic or psychoanalytic therapy involves creating conditions in which you can explore your feelings and issues in a way that helps you solve your own problems. Often, people come to therapy imagining the therapist is going to give them insights into their problems and discover that that's not really possible. Instead, therapy should create an atmosphere of benevolent non-judgment that gives patients permission to think about themselves in ways previously felt to be too unacceptable. Insights arise in relating with the therapist and working through the difficulties of putting words to our experience with another person.
Exploring the early home life and dynamics of the patient's parents and/or early caregivers is sometimes necessary for patients to uncover rigid or outdated strategies used in the present that no longer serve them. These outdated strategies or relational dynamics often are at the root of the patient's current issues. These defensive patterns emerge within the relationship of the patient and therapist and are gently explored and worked through in order to grow and change.
Couples Therapy:
Similarly, the focus of couples' work also involves exploration of feelings and relationship dynamics but with an often more lively picture emerging from the present interaction of the couple and the therapist. There are generally more demands requiring the therapist to intervene with the couple depending on their needs and goals for their relationship.