Chapter 16 - Psychological and biological treatments - Important definitions Flashcards
psychotherapy
a psychological intervention designed to help people resolve emotional, behavioural, and interpersonal problems and improve the quality of their lives
paraprofessional
person with no professional training who provides mental health services
insight therapies
psychotherapies, including psychodynamic, humanistic, and group approaches, with the goal of expanding awareness or insight
free association
technique in which clients express themselves without censorship of any sort
resistance
attempts to avoid confrontation and anxiety associated with uncovering previously repressed thoughts, emotions, and impulses
transference
projecting intense, unrealistic feelings
interpersonal therapy (IPT)
treatment that strengthens social skills and targets interpersonal problems, conflicts, and life transitions
humanistic therapies
therapies that emphasize the development of human potential and the belief that human nature is basically positive
person-centred therapy
therapy centring on the client’s goals and ways of solving problems
Gestalt therapy
therapy that aims to integrate different and sometimes opposing aspects of personality into a unified sense of self
group therapy
therapy that treats more than one person at a time
Alcoholics anonymous
12 step, self-help program that provides social support for achieving sobriety
strategic family intervention
family therapy approach designed to remove barriers to effective communication
structural family therapy
treatment in which therapists deeply involve themselves in family activities to change how family members arrange and organize interactions
behavioural therapists
therapists who focus on specific problem behaviours and on current variables that maintain problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
systematized desensitization
patients are taught to relax as they are gradually exposed to what they fear in a stepwise manner
exposure therapy
therapy that confronts patients with what they fear with the goal of reducing the fear
dismantling
research procedure for examining the effectiveness of isolated components of a larger treatment
response prevention
technique in which therapists prevent clients from performing their typical avoidance behaviours
participant modelling
technique in which the therapist first models a problematic situation and then guides the client through steps to cope with it unassisted
token economy
method in which desirable behaviours are rewarded with tokens that clients can exchange for tangible rewards
aversion therapy
treatment that uses punishment to decrease the frequency of undesirable behaviours
cognitive-behavioural therapies
treatments that attempt to replace maladaptive or irrational cognitions with more adaptive, rational cognitions
meta-analysis
statistical method that helps researchers to interpret large bodies of psychological literature
empirically supported treatment (EST)
intervention for specific disorders supported by high-quality scientific evidence
psychopharmacotherapy
use of medications to treat psychological problems
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
patients receive brief electrical pulses to the brain that produce a seizure to treat serious psychological problems
psychosurgery
brain surgery to treat psychological problems
