16.1 Treating Psychological Disorders

Question 1

Clinical psychologists

Answer 1

have obtained PhDs and are able to formally diagnose and treat mental health issues ranging from the everyday and mild to the chronic and severe

Question 2

Counselling psychologists

Answer 2

mental health professionals who typically work with people who need help with more common problems such as stress and coping; issues concerning identity, sexuality, and relationships; anxiety and depression; and developmental issues such as childhood trauma

Question 3

Psychiatrists

Answer 3

medical doctors who specialize in mental health and who are allowed to diagnose and treat mental disorders through prescribing medications

Question 4

Deinstitutionalization

Answer 4

the movement of large numbers of psychiatric in-patients from their care facilities back into regular society

Question 5

Residential treatment centres

Answer 5

housing facilities in which residents receive psychological therapy and life skills training, with the explicit goal of helping residents become re-integrated into society

Question 6

Community psychology

Answer 6

focuses on identifying how individual’s mental health is influenced by the community in which they live, and emphasizes community-level variables such as social programs, support networks, and community resource centres to help those with mental illness adjust to the challenges of everyday life

Question 7

Therapeutic alliance

Answer 7

the relationship that emerges in therapy between the therapist and patient

Question 8

Bibliotherapy

Answer 8

the use of self-help books and other reading materials as a form of therapy

Question 9

Empirically supported treatments

Answer 9

treatments that have been tested and evaluated using scientific methods