Depth Psychology Training

Depth Psychology is a form of psychology based primarily on the work of C. G. Jung and Sigmund Freud. The identifying feature of this field is that it takes the subconscious into account, and attempts to heal neuroses and achieve mental health through helping the client to achieve awareness and resolution of subconscious processes. These processes are often rooted in events that occurred in the past, thus depth psychology is related to regression therapy and other techniques that involve an analysis of childhood and early experiences.

Theories

• Emerging from a Freudian and Jungian background, depth psychology is based on the premise that experiences and traumas from early childhood stay with an individual for life. In the case of Jung, he also entertained the possibility of influences from previous lifetimes or the collective unconscious. This moving outside the bounds of the self is the basis of trans-personal psychology, a field that is related to but distinct from depth psychology. The basis of depth psychology is that a person, by working with an insightful and experienced therapist, can bring ancient traumas and experiences into the light of consciousness, and be re-experiencing them in the context of being an autonomous adult rather than a helpless child, can resolve difficulties that may have stemmed from these traumas.

Personal Experience

• Typically, individuals who train to be psychotherapists must undergo psychotherapy themselves. This makes them more aware of their own issues, and how those issues affect their practice, and also gives them greater understanding into what their clients are experiencing during therapy. A psychotherapist in training will undergo therapy with a more experienced psychotherapist, and will explore the same issues as a normal client: dream analysis, repressed memories from the past, and the reasons behind various compulsions or obsessions.

Requirements

• A person who is interested in becoming a therapist working in the field of depth psychology must be trained by a reputable institution of learning. He or she must have the ability to empathize with clients, yet remain detached from their emotional issues. The relationship between therapist and client is delicate and must remain professional; any lapse into inappropriate relationship is a serious breach of professional conduct. Good therapists must be mature, empathetic and confident that their own issues have been resolved to a point where they will not interfere with helping others.

Related Fields

• Depth psychology has become informally affiliated with a number of other healing modalities including yoga, meditation and various growth-based therapies. Trainees in depth psychology often emerge from one of these fields, and training in contemplative or healing based disciplines can be a very productive precedent for training in depth psychology.

Institutions

• Numerous institutions exist that specialize in training in depth psychology. These institutions offer both MA and PhD degrees in Depth Psychology and related fields such as Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology and Contemplative Psychotherapy.