The Role of Psychoanalytic Concepts in Everyday Support Work

by Eve Edwards (Psychosocial Recovery Coach)

Support work is often described as “being there” for someone – offering practical assistance, emotional encouragement, and consistency in the face of life’s daily challenges. But for psychosocial support workers, there’s more to it than logistics and checklists. When you regularly enter the client’s world through their home, their routine, their family system, then you’re also stepping into their psychological space. This is where psychoanalytic thinking becomes a powerful tool.

What Is Psychoanalytic Thinking?

Psychoanalytic thinking stems from the theories of Sigmund Freud and his successors. It focuses on the unconscious mind, the impact of early relationships, and the internal conflicts that influence behaviour. Unlike approaches that target symptoms, psychoanalysis seeks to understand the root causes of distress; the hidden emotional dynamics shaping a person’s actions and worldview.

In a support setting, this doesn’t mean interpreting dreams or offering complex analyses. Rather, it involves attunement, which involves staying curious about the internal experience of a client, observing patterns, and tolerating emotional ambiguity. It means looking beneath the surface.

Applying Psychoanalytic Concepts to Support Work

Support workers are in a unique position. Unlike traditional therapists who often see clients in controlled clinical settings, support workers engage in the unpredictable rhythm of everyday life, in kitchens, at shopping centres, during transport rides, or through community engagement.

Some relevant psychoanalytic concepts in this work include:

Holding Environment (Winnicott): Support workers can function as a psychological “container” for their clients. By offering a calm, steady presence, they create a safe space where clients feel emotionally held.
Transference and Countertransference: Clients may project early relational experiences onto the support worker (e.g., seeing them as a parent, rescuer, or authority figure). Being aware of this helps workers manage emotional responses and avoid acting out unresolved dynamics.
Mentalisation: The ability to reflect on one’s own and others’ internal states. When support workers help clients make sense of their feelings (“You seemed upset after seeing your sister. Do you think it brought up something from the past?”), they’re fostering emotional insight.

Defence Mechanisms in Everyday Life

All of us unconsciously use defence mechanisms to manage psychological pain. In support work, recognising these defences helps make sense of clients’ responses without judgment.

Denial: A client who insists they’re “fine” despite visible distress may be protecting themselves from unbearable feelings.
Projection: A client who accuses others of being controlling might be externalising their own fears of losing autonomy.
Displacement: Anger directed at a support worker might stem from an earlier wound by a parent who let them down, a system that failed them.

Understanding these defences doesn’t mean confronting or correcting them. It means holding a compassionate space and responding with emotional literacy.

Developmental History and Attachment

Support workers often engage with individuals who have histories of trauma, neglect, or inconsistent caregiving. These early experiences shape attachment styles, in turn influencing how clients relate to their workers.

Secure Attachment: These clients may engage openly, respond to boundaries, and form consistent working relationships.
Avoidant Attachment: These clients may appear distant, rejecting help or withdrawing emotionally.
Anxious Attachment: These individuals might cling to the worker, fearing abandonment or expressing overwhelming need.

Psychoanalytic awareness enables the support worker to respond with steadiness and patience, allowing trust to develop gradually.

Why It Matters

Bringing a psychoanalytic lens to support work doesn’t replace practical skills; it enhances them. It adds depth to our understanding of resistance, emotional outbursts, or silence. It reminds us that behaviour is communication, and that often, what’s not said is as important as what is.

Support workers may not be trained therapists, but their role can be therapeutic. With curiosity, empathy, and reflective capacity, they can offer clients a relationship that heals, not by fixing, but by being with.