MORE ABOUT SELF PSYCHOLOGY
Self psychology is a modern psychoanalytic model. It's founder was Heinz Kohut (1913-1981). Kohut first formulated his theories in the 1960s. From his initial ideas the model has continued to develop and deepen.
Self psychology puts safe, attuned relationship at the centre of human well-being and development of a resilient, mature, healthy sense of self. This means that a self psychological approach is intended to meet you as a whole person.
In the course of therapy "symptoms" like depression and anxiety, lack of emotional regulation or traumatic responses can resolve within the safe space of the therapeutic relationship where you start to make sense of yourself again and your body and being find more equilibrium and resilience.
Within the context of therapy the focus is on providing this self-building relationship for the client. Kohut calls these relational needs "selfobject needs": the needs our self requires from the "object" other to form or reform. Kohut describes 3 main selfobect needs: Mirroring, Idealising, Twinship. In these we need to be seen and appreciated for ourselves, we need soothing and care from a safe other, and we need to feel ourselves a human among humans. These are needs we require throughout our lives to build, repair and sustain a strong sense of self.
There is also a focus on "empathy", which is understood to be a seeing from within the other person's experience. By extension, providing "empathic attunement", involves utilising this understanding to meet the other's selfobject needs within our therapeutic interventions (the things we say and do).
More recently the concept and practice of Intersubjectivity (Stolorow, Atwood, Brandshaft and others) has been woven into self psychology. Intersubjectivity highlights that the therapeutic space is an unfolding relational world that is co-created by the therapist and client. Intersubjectivity emphasises collaboration rather than a "therapist as expert and teacher" approach. Working intersubjectively, the client brings knowing of their own self, the therapist holds their professional knowledge from their experience and frameworks and between these two subjectivities emerges an understanding of what is needed in therapy to achieve the goals of the client.
More recently still in the self psychological world the notion of self has expanded to more overtly include the awareness that we are embodied beings. This is a focus for the CRSPC self psychology community in Canberra. We understand that the experiences of life are felt in our bodies, that our bodies have a way of telling the stories of our hopes, traumas and fears, and that by bringing awareness to what our bodies are saying within sessions, we both gain greater access to what is being felt and can create deeper integration of experience. This speaks to current understandings of the importance of including body awareness in most therapeutic work, especially where trauma is present. Some of our practitioners utilise therapeutic touch in their work.
To find out about study opportunities and some learning resources, visit our LEARN page.
Self psychology puts safe, attuned relationship at the centre of human well-being and development of a resilient, mature, healthy sense of self. This means that a self psychological approach is intended to meet you as a whole person.
In the course of therapy "symptoms" like depression and anxiety, lack of emotional regulation or traumatic responses can resolve within the safe space of the therapeutic relationship where you start to make sense of yourself again and your body and being find more equilibrium and resilience.
Within the context of therapy the focus is on providing this self-building relationship for the client. Kohut calls these relational needs "selfobject needs": the needs our self requires from the "object" other to form or reform. Kohut describes 3 main selfobect needs: Mirroring, Idealising, Twinship. In these we need to be seen and appreciated for ourselves, we need soothing and care from a safe other, and we need to feel ourselves a human among humans. These are needs we require throughout our lives to build, repair and sustain a strong sense of self.
There is also a focus on "empathy", which is understood to be a seeing from within the other person's experience. By extension, providing "empathic attunement", involves utilising this understanding to meet the other's selfobject needs within our therapeutic interventions (the things we say and do).
More recently the concept and practice of Intersubjectivity (Stolorow, Atwood, Brandshaft and others) has been woven into self psychology. Intersubjectivity highlights that the therapeutic space is an unfolding relational world that is co-created by the therapist and client. Intersubjectivity emphasises collaboration rather than a "therapist as expert and teacher" approach. Working intersubjectively, the client brings knowing of their own self, the therapist holds their professional knowledge from their experience and frameworks and between these two subjectivities emerges an understanding of what is needed in therapy to achieve the goals of the client.
More recently still in the self psychological world the notion of self has expanded to more overtly include the awareness that we are embodied beings. This is a focus for the CRSPC self psychology community in Canberra. We understand that the experiences of life are felt in our bodies, that our bodies have a way of telling the stories of our hopes, traumas and fears, and that by bringing awareness to what our bodies are saying within sessions, we both gain greater access to what is being felt and can create deeper integration of experience. This speaks to current understandings of the importance of including body awareness in most therapeutic work, especially where trauma is present. Some of our practitioners utilise therapeutic touch in their work.
To find out about study opportunities and some learning resources, visit our LEARN page.
