Psychoanalyst

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A psychoanalyst, following the theories of Sigmund Freud, investigates unconscious mental processes and their relations to conscious psychological processes. Unlike a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst is not a licensed medical doctor, and therefore cannot prescribe medication in the treatment of mental health.

Psychoanalysis is the study of the subconscious—such as childhood memories or painful past experiences—as the cause of mental illnesses or emotional stress in adult life. Psychoanalysts treat emotional issues that may be interfering with an individual’s personal life such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders, panic attacks, internal conflicts, relationship or family problems, impulsions and compulsions, and other pattern behaviors and psychoneuroses.

A psychoanalyst meets regularly with patients (depending on the diagnoses, appointments can vary from once a week to five times a week) to explore the unconscious, analyze the development of the mental disorder(s) overtime, and promote self-understanding.

The relationship between psychoanalyst and patient is much more intimate than that with other clinical physicians, because the patient will re-experience their subconscious memories alongside their psychoanalyst in a joint effort to unlock or understand suppressed emotions. It is the psychoanalyst’s goal to help the patient become capable of coping with the realities of their current situations through awareness of underlying sources of their distress.

Trained psychoanalysts undergo an extensive clinical education program. Because of their rigorous training in human pathological functioning and therapeutic methodology, psychoanalysts can find careers in various community settings including clinical, university, business/management, consultation, education, medical, sports, history, forensics, and research divisions.