Application and Critical Evaluation of Psychodynamic Family Therapy in the Case of Lucy MHN4024

1.Introduction

This paper discusses the situation of Lucy who is a single mother of three children namely Tina, Jack and Amy. She is originally from Thailand and had a strained relationship with his Australian husband who used abusive language and threatened her. She has recently separated from her husband Paul and is experiencing mental issues such as anxiety, loneliness and difficulties in managing her children. Her youngest daughter Amy is suffering from an abnormal development disorder. In addition to this, her in-laws are also adding to her burden by always being very nosy in her methods for upbringing her children. She reached out for medical help but is not able to strictly adhere to the treatment as she believes that the prescribed medications will turn her into a zombie and is struggling to manager her kids.
The main purpose of the paper is to understand the Psychodynamic Family Therapy (PFT) in terms of its theoretical roots. Followed by this, the key elements of the Psychodynamic Family Therapy (PFT) will be used and critically analysed to determine the strengths, weakness, assumptions and limitations. It will further evaluate the role of PFT in meeting the psychological requirements of Lucy and interpret the usefulness of this theory in accordance with the case study.

1.Accurate Representation of the Psychodynamic Family Therapy

Psychodynamic Theory

This theory has been proposed by Sigmund Freud, who is a well-known psychologist. It states that the mental state of the parents plays a very vital role in shaping the personality of an individual in their early childhood. The experiences of this phase have a long lasting impact on the physical and emotional growth of the children (Traylor et al., 2022).
The initial topographical model of this theory divided the human mind into conscious, unconscious and preconscious sections. Followed by this, the topographical model was refined and a structural model was developed which divided the human mind into the id, ego and superego. The id is based on the basic concept of deciding whether something is good or bad after feeling it. It is driven by the biological desires and instant urges. The superego is based on the moral conscience and teaches an individual to choose the right and the wrong. The ego forms an interface between the id and the superego. It is considered as the self component of our personality (Pelz & Overstreet, 2022).

Psychodynamic Family Therapy

This therapy is based on the principle of the psychodynamic theory. It aims to identify the negative factors in the functioning of a family which is associated with the conflicts and critical issues in the family. The therapy is originally based on the theories of Sigmund Freud. However, other theorists namely Carl Jung and Melanie Klein also proposed theories such as object relation theory and concept of collective unconscious and archetypes. The object relation theory illustrates that early relationships between the parents and their children is influenced the ability of an individual to develop lifelong relationships. On the other hand, collective unconscious states that personality of an individual is majorly affected by the genetic traits received from the parents rather than their individual behavior (The Collective Unconscious International Association of Analytical Psychology IAAP, 2024).

2.In-Depth Critique of Psychodynamic Family Therapy

Assumptions

The psychodynamic family therapy (PFT) has originated from the core principle of the psychodynamic theory. It assumes that mutual bond and behavior of a family is largely influenced by the early childhood experiences and unconscious mental processes of the individual members in a family. Followed by this, the emotional and social interaction of an individual is also influenced by the unresolved conflicts and aggressive behavior of the parents or the primary caregivers. This disrupts the normal functioning of the family. In addition to this, this theory also assumes that these strained relationships between the family members can be improved by understanding the unconscious process responsible for these and modifying it accordingly (Caputo & Tomai, 2020).

Strengths

The psychodynamic family therapy has its own strengths. Firstly, it helps a person to understand their emotional and psychological issues by exploring the unresolved conflicts and early life experiences within the family. As a result of this, the hidden problem areas are identified and the root cause for disturbance in the family relationships is determined. This ultimately helps in suggesting accurate interventions which can make a significant impact in improving the relationship within the family members. Secondly, the psychodynamic family therapy helps to enhance the communication among the family members so that they can share their past traumas and resolve their internal conflicts for improving the functional dynamics of the family (Bernardi et al., 2021).

Weaknesses

There are certain weaknesses associated with the psychodynamic family therapy. Firstly, it does not consider the present day situations and practical factors. It only includes the unconscious processes and historical experiences, but overlooks the logical problems associated with it such as financial burden, logistical challenges, etc. Secondly, this therapy is time sensitive and involves long duration of sessions to identify the potential reasons for the conflict within the families. This can be an obstacle for families with mediocre income levels or those who require prompt solutions. Thirdly, the complex nature of this therapy does not align with the clients who require a more pratical approach for resolving their family disputes (Stukenberg, 2020).

How Change is Expected to Occur

The psychodynamic family therapy involves unleashing the hidden areas of problem in the family by exploring their unresolved conflicts and issues in detail. As a result of this, the family members are able to correlate their current behavior with their past experiences of their early childhood which can be a major cause for their disturbed family. This will increase the level of awareness among the family members who will use effective communication skills to understand the thoughts and emotions of all the family members due to the negative impact of their conflicts. They can focus towards improving their relationships by understanding the harmful impact of their behavior on the well-being of their family members (Jabbari et al., 2023).

3.Application of Psychodynamic Family Therapy to the Case Study of Lucy

To utilize psychodynamic family therapy in the case of Lucy, we would examine her unconscious influences as well past experiences that is affecting the surface presenting behavior and emotions within relationships. The approach of therapists working in this field is to expose the deep emotional strifes or patterns that might be affecting Lucy's relationship and interactions with children, Paul and again pauls parents.

Repressed Conflicts and Early Experiences in Lucy

The relationship of Lucy with Paul along side his family seems like the swamp lawmakers, which are imitated by danger independent encourages its past day trauma-triggered. Perhaps she carries trauma of being judged, criticised and blamed from going up in Thailand or as an immigrant coming to a new country through cultural differences with Paul's parents (Patient Practitioner Interaction, 2024.).

Projection and Transference

Lucy might be projecting her thoughts onto others which power them into terrifying circumstances especially in social cases. She is possibly anxious about people publicly talking behind her and Amy which personally seems like an internal anxiety around judgement or even rejection, stemming from everything of having been excluded in Australia etc (Yilmaz et al., 2024).

Defense Mechanisms

Lucy's refusal to interact and her fear of using anti-depressants are an example of the defense mechanisms. In other words, avoidance may be less painful for her than the anticipated pain of social interactions at this stage in time; while a fear that medication will turn into "zombie" might understandingly reflect fears around losing control or not being able to mother properly. The anger outburst towards her children, particularly the one with Jack could be a way in which we see that she has been repressing this anger and frustration within other areas of her life for so long (Mustapha, 2024).

How Paul's Conduct Affects this Reality

It is highly likely that everything about Lucys anxiety and feelings of powerlessness, are enhanced by the verbal abuse on top of anger issues coupled to parents' toxicity. The therapy would begin to dig into how Paul's behavior and the parental dynamics are pushing on Lucy's own unhealed emotional wounds, amplifying her anxiety levels as she continues down this path toward implosion (Velotti et al., 2020).

4.In-Depth Analysis of the Usefulness of Psychodynamic Family Therapy

Usefulness

Lucy is experiencing a critical situation where she had a moderately abusive relationship with her ex-husband, her in-laws always interfering in the decisions related to the upbringing of her children and the development delay experienced by her youngest daughter Amy.
The psychodynamic family therapy (PFT) is very helpful for Lucy for making her understand the negative impact of her strained relationship with her husband Paul on her mental instability which is making her feel extremely anxious and socially isolated. This will also help her understand that development delays experienced by her daughter have been somehow provoked due to the violent marriage she was in. In addition to this this continuous involvement of her in-laws who are continuously making her feel guilty about her decision to separate from Paul and with very little to no emotional support is contributing to her anxiety and loneliness. However, this theory only focuses on the past experiences and does not involve the current parameters such as financial instability, very less emotional support which are also affecting her mental status (Malkomsen et al., 2022).

Power Dynamics

Power plays a big role in Lucys family situation. Lucys interactions with Paul and his family are confusing and disrespectful. Pauls parents have a significant influence on Lucy and Paul, which adds to the stress in Lucys life. PFT can address this shift in energy by exploring the unconscious conflicts and past relationship patterns that are causing the current energy deficit. This therapy can help Lucy better understand how these shifts affect her interactions and emotional responses, helping her navigate and change the behavioral relationship between these forces. Through her theory of self-worth and her relationship with Paul, PFT can help Lucy gain insight into how this shift is causing her feelings of inadequacy and social anxiety. This understanding allows Lucy to better express her needs and build a healthier relationship with Paul and his family (Hak et al., 2023).

Ethical Considerations

When applying PFT, the following ethical factors have to be taken into consideration. Privacy is a key factor so as to guarantee that any information regarding Lucys personal affairs should not be divulged. In order to deal with the matter effectively, the therapist has to create a setting in which Lucy will be comfortable to share her unconscious conflict.
Another crucial areas is the question of the autonomy, wherein, Lucy must be allowed the right to make her own choices regarding therapy and her life. The therapist should not give further meanings or stop considering Lucys options should plausibly be stopped there.
Also, among the parts of the therapists job description is to facilitate the interaction without injecting own biases. This means that I must guide her as to what her difficulties are but at the same time, it is crucial that Lucy has her own perspective of what she is going through. The therapist should not have any prejudice to the patient and should uphold the patients self-determination at all times in the therapy process (Cho et al., 2020).

5.Conclusion

Being one of the modern theories, Psychodynamic Family Therapy provides useful information about Lucys emotional and relational issues by identifying conflicts and early experiences that exist in a family and that are responsible for the current difficulties. Some of its benefits are the detailed analysis of deep-seated causes and the enhancement of family relationships, but it could have such drawbacks as missing emerging pragmatic problems and time-consuming intervention. Understanding the power relations within the family of Lucy as well as respecting the key ethical values which are confidentiality, the idea of the patients autonomy, and noncoercion are also important for the therapys success. In general, as much as PFT offers deep insights into Lucys difficulties, perhaps, adding tangible assistance can help translate it more to her circumstances.

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