psyc 345 ch 11 Flashcards
attention only control group
A control group whose members meet regularly with a clinician but receive no active treatment.
catharsis
The release of emotions.
common factors
A set of features that characterize many therapy orientations and that may be the source of the positive changes effected by psychological treatment.
control group
In psychotherapy research the group that does not receive the treatment under investigation.
depth of a problem
The changeability of a condition or behavior. The deeper the condition the less changeable it is perceived to be.
effect size
The size of the treatment effect determined statistically.
effectiveness studies
Studies that emphasize external validity and the representativeness of the treatment that is administered. A treatment is considered effective to the extent that clients report clinically significant benefit from the treatment.
efficacy studies
Studies that place a premium on internal validity by controlling the types of clients in the study by standardizing the treatments and by randomly assigning patients to treatment or notreatment groups. A treatment is considered efficacious to the extent that the average person receiving the treatment in clinical trials is demonstrated to be significantly less dysfunctional than the average person not receiving any treatment e.g. those on a waiting list for treatment.
empirically supported treatments ESTs
Treatments for various psychological conditions that have been shown through careful empirical study to be either well established or probably efficacious. A list of ESTs is updated and published periodically by the APAs Division of Clinical Psychology.
evidencebased practice EBP
Treatments informed by a number of sources including scientific evidence about the intervention clinical expertise and patient needs and preferences.
evidencebased treatments EBTs
Those interventions or techniques that have produced significant change in clients and patients in controlled trials.
expert role
The therapists demonstration of competence i.e. knowledge and experience.
insight
In the context of psychotherapy the achievement of understanding the nature and origins of ones problems.
interpretation
In the context of psychotherapy the therapists conceptualization of the meaning behind the patients experiences or behaviors.
manualized treatment
Psychotherapeutic treatment that is presented and described in a standardized manual format i.e. outlining the rationales goals and techniques that correspond to each phase of the treatment.
mastery
The acquisition of a high level of knowledge or skill. One goal of psychotherapy may be for the patient to develop competence/mastery in a particular area.
metaanalysis
A method of research in which one compiles all studies relevant to a topic or question and combines the results statistically.
nonspecific factors
Factors that are not specific to any particular therapy orientation yet contribute to a positive treatment outcome e.g. the expectation that one will improve.
outcome measures
In psychotherapy research indicators of patient functioning following treatment used to gauge the treatment effectiveness.
paraprofessionals
Individuals without advanced education in psychology who have been trained to assist professional mental health workers.
patient functioning
How well a patient is getting along across a number of domains e.g. psychological social/interpersonal occupational.
process research
Research that investigates the specific events that occur in the course of the interaction between therapist and patient. Some therapy processes have been shown to relate to treatment outcome.
psychological intervention
A method of inducing changes in a persons behavior thoughts or feelings.
stages of change
A series of stages that represent a given clients readiness for change in psychotherapy. These include precontemplation contemplation preparation action maintenance and termination.
