Module 70: Intro to Therapy, Psychodynamic, & Humanisitic Flashcards
Psychotherapy
Treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth
Biomedical Therapy
Prescribed medications or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology
How might an illness be treated with Psychotherapy?
The therapist may explore a client’s early relationships, encourage the client to adopt new ways of thinking, or coach the client in replacing old behaviors with new ones
How might an illness be treated with Biomedical Therapy?
The psychiatrist or doctor may prescribe antidepressants for a person with severe depression or may suggest, electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT), or deep-brain stimulation
What is the Eclectic Approach to psychotherapy?
An approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy
- some therapists combine techniques; blend of therapies
Sigmund Freud
Believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences- and the therapists’ interpretations of them - released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight
- psychoanalysis
What are the underlying beliefs of Psychoanalysis ?
Freud believed that in therapy, people could achieve healthier, less anxious living by releasing energy they had previously devoted to id-ego-superego conflicts
- assumed we do not fully know ourselves
- threatening things we repress- things we do not want to know so we deny them
Free Association
- relaxing
- therapist asks you to say aloud whatever comes to mind
- could be talking about a childhood memory or describing a dream or recent experience
Editing Our Thoughts
- pausing for a second before uttering an embarrassing though
- omit what seems trivial, irrelevant, or shameful
- sometimes your mind goes blank or you clutch up, unable to remember important details
- you may joke or change the subject to something less threatening
Resistance
In psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
- hint that anxiety lurks and you are defining against sensitive materials
- analyst will note resistance and provide insight into its meaning
Interpretation
In psychoanalysis, the analyst’s noting supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight
Transference
In psychoanalysis, the patient’s transfer to the analyst of emotions linked with other relationships (such as love or hatred for a parent)
- may feel strong positive or negative feelings towards your analyst
What are some drawbacks to traditional psychoanalysis?
- relatively few North American therapists now offer traditional psychoanalysis
- much of its underlying theory is not supported by scientific research
- analysts’ interpretations cannot be proven or disproven
- takes considerable time and money, often years of several sessions per week
- some of these problems have been addressed by modern psychodynamic perspective
Psychodynamic Therapy
Deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition; views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight
- doesn’t talk much about id-ego-superego
- try to help people understand their current symptoms by focusing on important relationships, including childhood experiences & therapist-client relationship
What are some differences in psychodynamic therapy?
Client-therapist meetings take place once or twice a week (rather than several times weekly) and often for only a few weeks or months
- meet therapist face-to-face and gain perspective by exploring defended-against thoughts and feelings
Insight Therapies
Therapies that aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing a person’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses
- psychodynamic & humanistic (though they differ from each other)
In what ways is humanistic therapy different from psychoanalytic therapy?
- humanistic therapists aim to boost people’s fulfillment by helping them grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance
- path to growth is taking immediate responsibility for one’s feelings and actions, rather than uncovering hidden determinants
- promoting growth, not curing illness. Clients not Patients
- conscious thought more important than unconscious
- present & future more important than the past; explore feelings as they occur, rather than achieving insights into the childhood origins of those feelings
Client-Centered Therapy
- humanistic therapy
- Carl Rogers
- therapist uses techniques such as active listening within an accepting, genuine, empathic environment to facilitate client’s growth
- non-directive therapy - client leads the discussion
What were Carl Roger’s beliefs about growth and how to help clients achieve it?
Believing that most people possess the resources for growth, Carl Rogers encouraged therapists to foster that growth by exhibiting acceptance, genuineness, and empathy
- clients may deepen their self-understanding and self-acceptance
Active Listening
Empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies what the person expresses (verbally or nonverbally) and acknowledges those expressed feelings
Unconditional Positive Regard
A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance
- people may accept even their worst traits and feel valued and whole
How can we listen more actively?
Paraphrase: Check your understanding by summarizing the person’s words out loud, in your own words
Invite Clarification: may encourage the person to say more
Reflect Feelings: mirror what you’re sensing from the person’s body language and intensity
