What Is Psychodynamic Counselling?

Understanding the Deeper Roots of Emotions and Behaviour

Psychodynamic counselling is a form of talk therapy that focuses on exploring how early life experiences, especially childhood relationships, continue to shape our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in adulthood. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in recurring patterns – whether in relationships, at work, or with your emotional wellbeing – psychodynamic therapy may help you understand why.

How Psychodynamic Counselling Works

At the heart of psychodynamic counselling is the idea that much of what drives our emotions and behaviours lies in the unconscious mind. These unconscious patterns often stem from past experiences, especially those formed in early relationships with parents or caregivers.

By exploring these patterns in a safe and supportive therapeutic space, clients can begin to make sense of their inner world, develop deeper self-awareness, and make meaningful changes in how they relate to others.

The Therapeutic Relationship: A Key to Healing

A unique aspect of psychodynamic therapy is its focus on the therapeutic relationship itself. What unfolds between the therapist and client often reflects the client’s patterns in other relationships. This provides a powerful opportunity to understand and work through issues in real-time.

This relationship becomes a foundation for emotional growth, helping clients experience a different, healthier way of relating – often for the first time.

What Issues Can Psychodynamic Counselling Help With?

Psychodynamic therapy is effective for a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including:

• Depression and anxiety

• Low self-esteem

• Difficulty forming or maintaining relationships

• Unexplained emotional distress

• Long-standing patterns of self-sabotage or emotional blocks

If you’re asking, “What is psychodynamic counselling, and can it help me?”, the answer may lie in your readiness to explore your inner world and the unconscious factors shaping your present.

Training in Psychodynamic Counselling

How to Become a Psychodynamic Counsellor

If you’re interested in helping others explore the deeper roots of their emotional experiences, training in psychodynamic counselling could be the right path for you.

Psychodynamic counsellors are trained to work with unconscious processes, early relational patterns, and the therapeutic relationship. This requires a solid foundation in theory, self-reflection, and clinical practice.

What Does Psychodynamic Counselling Training Involve?

Training typically includes:

• Theoretical study of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic concepts

• Personal therapy, often required throughout the training

• Supervised clinical work with clients

• Workshops and group process sessions to deepen emotional understanding

Courses are usually offered at certificate, diploma, and postgraduate levels, and may take between 2 to 5 years, depending on the depth of the programme and your previous experience. Our training programme consists of a 1 year certificate course and then a 2 year BACP accredited course. These 3 years combined make up the Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapeutic Counselling.