Module 44: Introduction to Therapy and the Psychological Therapies

Question 1

Psychotherapy

Answer 1

Treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth.

Question 2

Biomedical Therapy

Answer 2

Prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology.

Question 3

Eclectic Approach

Answer 3

An approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy.

Question 4

Psychoanalysis

Answer 4

Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believes that patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences - and the analyst’s interpretations of them - released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self - insight.

Question 5

Resistance

Answer 5

In psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety - laden material.

• Mental block
• Mind goes blank —> unable to remember important details
• – Anxiety lurks and you are defending against it

Question 6

Interpretation

Answer 6

In psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting of supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight.
- May show underlying wishes, feelings, and conflicts you are avoiding

Question 7

Transference

Answer 7

In psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)

• By exposing these feelings
• – May gain insight into current relationships

Question 8

Psychodynamic Therapy

Answer 8

Therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self - insight.

Question 9

Humanistic Therapy

Answer 9

Attempt to reduce inner conflicts that interfere with natural development and growth

• Humanistic perspective
• – Emphasizes people’s potential for self - fulfillment

Question 10

Insight Therapies

Answer 10

Therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses.
- Psychodynamic and humanistic therapies

Question 11

Client - Centered Therapy

Answer 11

A humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which a therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth. ( also called person - centered therapy ).

• Client lead discussion
• – Therapist listens, without judging or interpreting

Question 12

Active Listening

Answer 12

Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies. A feature of Rogers’ client - centered therapy.

Question 13

Unconditional Positive Regard

Answer 13

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self - awareness and self - acceptance.

Question 14

Behavior Therapy

Answer 14

Therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors.

• Don’t look for inner causes
• – Assume problem behaviors are the problems

Question 15

Counter Conditioning

Answer 15

Behavior therapy procedures that use classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors; include exposure therapies and aversive therapies.

Question 16

Exposure Therapies

Answer 16

Behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy, that treat anxieties by exposing people ( in imaginary or actual situations ) to the things they fear and avoid.

Question 17

Systematic Desensitization

Answer 17

A type of exposure therapy that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety - triggering stimuli. ( Commonly used to treat phobias ).

• If you can repeatedly relax when facing anxiety - provoking stimuli, you can eliminate your anxiety.

Question 18

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Answer 18

A counter - conditioning technique that treats anxiety through creative electronic simulations in which people can safely face their greatest fears, such as airplane flying, spiders, or public speaking.

Question 19

Aversive Conditioning

Answer 19

Associates an unpleasant state ( such as nausea ) with an unwanted behavior ( such as drinking alcohol ).

Question 20

Token Economy

Answer 20

An operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for privileges or treats.
- Therapists use this in institutional settings

Question 21

Cognitive Therapy

Answer 21

Therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and emotional reactions.
- Aim to change how we perceive and interpret events

• Self - blaming and overgeneralization of bad events feed depression

Question 22

Beck’s Therapy for Depression

Answer 22

• Challenged people’s automatic negative thoughts
• Reverse clients’ negativity about themselves, their situations, their futures.
• – With this technique, gentle questioning seeks to reveal irrational thinking, and then persuade people to remove the dark glasses they see life through.
• We think in words
• – Get people to change what they say to themselves is an effective way to change thinking

Question 23

Cognitive - Behavioral Therapy ( CBT )

Answer 23

A popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy ( changing self - defeating thinking ) with behavior therapy ( changing behavior ).

Question 24

Group Therapy

Answer 24

Therapy conducted with groups rather than individuals, providing benefits from group interaction.

Question 25

Family Therapy

Answer 25

Therapy that treats people in the context of their family system. Views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members.