Psychodynamic theory was originally developed by Sigmund Freud, the father of talking therapies. This represented a move away from the traditional medical model of treating mental-health problems with medication. Freud’s work was based on the idea of drive theory (i.e. looking at what drives humans).

Freud proposed a tripartite model of personality – comprising the id, ego and superego – in contrast to the humanistic model of an organismic whole. He believed that sexual drives and stages were important; he saw women as very different from men, even proposing the term ‘hysteria’ as female-specific. Those receiving therapy were often referred to as ‘patients’ or ‘analysands’ rather than as ‘clients’.

Psychodynamic theory has informed other developments in psychotherapeutic theory, for example, Eric Berne’s work on transactional analysis; he and Carl Jung always worked together before going their separate ways. It is in psychodynamic approaches that practitioners tend to be referred to as ‘psychotherapists’ rather than ‘counsellors’.

While counselling focuses on resolving specific issues and tends to be fairly short-term, psychotherapy (which uses the technique of psychoanalysis) is often about sorting out the client’s whole life (involving bringing early memories back into the conscious mind). As such, it tends to require a much longer course of therapy.