ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with Sigmund Freud, the Big Bang from which all psychotherapy emerged. He’ll almost certainly be the first authority someone wil be introduced to if they go on a counselling course. Analysts develop their theories of how negative emotions or unproductive behaviour come about from their own experiences, and it is tempting, in the role of counsellor, to assume that their clients will be doing the same. Clients, too, will be deeply influenced by the environment in which they live, so the capacity for open-mindedness and the avoidance of dogma in the counsellor are essential to productive therapy. This is an important consideration for the counsellor. Analysts are only able to work with what their clients give them, whatever their preferred theories or expectations. The neutrality of the therapist is important in this regard, as there is no benefit, however convenient it may seem at the time, in putting ideas into clients’ minds.