Module 53: Introduction to Therapy and the Psychological Therapies Flashcards
psychotherapy
psychological techniques derived from psychological perspectives
the trained therapist uses psychological techniques to assist someone to overcome difficulties or achieve personal growth
biomedical therapy
treatment with medical procedures
trained therapist, most often a medical doctor, offers medications and other biological treatments
eclectic approach
Uses techniques from various forms of therapy
Psychoanalysis’ Goals
Bring patients’ repressed feelings into conscious awareness
Help patients release energy devoted to id-ego-superego conflicts so they may achieve healthier, less anxious lives
Psychoanalysis’ Techniques
Historical reconstructions, initially through hypnosis and later through free association
Interpretation of resistance, transference
Psychodynamic Therapies’ Goals
Help people understand current symptoms; explore and gain perspective on defended-against thoughts and feelings
Psychodynamic Therapies’ Techniques
Client-centered face-to-face meetings; explorations of past relationship troubles to understand origins of current difficulties.
Humanistic Perspective
▪ Theme: Emphasis on people’s potential for self- fulfillment; to give people new insights
▪ Goals: Reduce inner conflicts that interfere with natural development and growth; help clients grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance, promoting personal growth
▪ Techniques: Person-centered therapy; focus on taking responsibility for feelings and actions and on present and future rather than past
Humanistic Therapies: Carl Rogers
Person-centered therapy that focuses on person’s conscious self-perceptions; nondirective; active listening; unconditional positive regard
Most people possess resources for growth
Therapists foster growth by exhibiting genuineness, acceptance, and empathy.
counterconditioning
Uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors
exposure therapies
Treat anxieties by exposing people to the things they fear and avoid.
systematic desensitization
Associates a pleasant, relaxed state with gradually increasing, anxiety-triggering stimuli
operant conditioning therapy
Consequences drive behavior; voluntary behaviors are strongly influenced by their consequences
behavior modification
Desired behavior is reinforced; undesired behavior is not reinforced and sometimes is punished
token economy
People earn a token for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for privileges or treats.
cognitive therapies
teach people new, more adaptive ways of thinking
based on assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions
Aaron Beck’s therapy for depression
Gentle questioning seeks to reveal irrational thinking and then to persuade people to change their perceptions of their own and other’s actions as dark, negative and pessimistic
People are trained to recognize and modify negative self-talk.
cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)
aims to alter the way people act and the way they think
helps people learn to make more realistic appraisals
Group therapy and its benefits
Conducted with groups rather than individuals, used when clients’ problems involve interactions with others
Benefits: saves therapist time and clients money, encourages exploration of social behaviors and social skill development enables people to see that others share their problems, provides feedback as clients try out new ways of behaving
Family therapy
Attempts to open up communication within the family and help family members discover and use conflict resolution strategies.
Treats family as a system
Views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by or directed at other family members
Self-help groups
More than 100 million Americans have participated in small religious, interest, or support groups that meet regularly.
In an individualist age, with more people living alone or feeling isolated, the popularity of support groups—for the addicted, the bereaved, the divorced, or simply for those seeking fellowship and growth—may reflect a longing for community and connectedness.
