Psychological interventions Flashcards
BBM
What is the goal of psychological interventions?
Bring about form of change in:
- Beliefs
- Behaviour
- Mood
When are psychological interventions used in medical settings?
- Reduce pre/post op anxiety, pain + reduce analgesia requirements
- Health promotion + risk reduction - smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, drugs
- Manage adjustment issues - chronic illness, family changes, disability, loss
- Stress management - coping, anxiety, behavioural/emo disturbance, PTSD, phobias
- Managing mood problems - depression, anxiety, anger
- Alternative/adjunct to drugs - reduces over-medication
- Managing symptoms/side-effects of difficult to manage conditions - chronic pain, chemo
What are the (3) main types of interventions?
- Cognitive
- Behavioural
- Combined
What does the cognitive model state?
Thoughts, behaviours, feelings
States that all link together and affect one another.
What are the assumptions of the cognitive model?
- We interact with the world through interpretations and evaluations that we make about our environment
- It is not the situation itself that causes psychological disturbance. It’s the thoughts, beliefs and meanings we attach to the event that produce our emotional and behavioural responses.
- Results of cognitive processes are accessible via thoughts and images, and therefore have potential to change.
What are the 3 levels of thinking targetted by cognitive interventions?
- Automatic thinking (highest level)
- Underlying rules and assumptions (intermediate beliefs)
- Core beliefs (cognitive schemata)
What are automatic thoughts?
Fleeting thoughts that pop into your mind unbidden, situation specific and involuntary.
Feeling results in the thought (negative automatic thoughts):
Eg. I feel anxious - I can’t cope, I’ll make a fool of myself
I feel pain - I am going to die
I feel incompetent - I’ll make a fool of myself, everyone will see…
What is meant by underlying rules and assumptions?
Guide our behaviour, set standards that we live by - can be healthy or unhealthy.
Examples of unhealthy assumptions:
- ‘If I am to be successful, people must like me’
- ‘I must get over 80% in my exams in order to be successful’
- ‘No one should be disrespectful to me or treat me poorly’
They provide a way to avoid facing a negative core belief.
What are core beliefs?
They give rise to our rules and assumptions and thoughts (NATS). Developed in early life/childhood, the centre of our beliefs. Usually global, absolute and focus on ourselves, the world. Can be positive or negative.
Activated by life events (trauma, bereavement, rejection)
Negative core beliefs usually:
- Over-generalised
- Unconditional
- Rigid
- Eg. ‘I’m unlovable’ ‘I can’t trust anyone’ ‘I am bad’
Cognitive biases refer to maladaptive thinking, logical errors or cognitive distortions. What are some examples?
- Arbitary inference
- Catastrophising
- Selective abstraction
- Magnification and minimisation
- Personalisation
- Absolutistic, dichotomous thinking
- Fait accompli thinking
Briefly describe Beck’s cognitive theory of depression
- Negative triad - pessimistic beliefs about self, world + future
- Negative schemas or beliefs triggered by negative life events
- Cognitive biases
This is all said to associate/cause depression.
What do cognitive interventions focus on?
- Identifying maladaptive thoughts or beliefs, challenging them and changing them to become more adaptive - cognitive restructuring.
- Changing the way we relate to our thoughts
- Developing effective coping strategies
For depression, anxiety, panic disorders etc.
An example of a cognitive intervention is ‘self-monitoring’. What is the purpose of this and how is it helpful?
- PURPOSE: To identify and increase attention of thoughts, emotion, behaviour (+ allows external monitoring by HCP)
- Monitoring process: inc awareness by recording thoughts, emotions + behaviour. Should be quick and simple to make record.
- Timing of record keeping: ASAP after emotion/behavioour has occurred.
A ‘thought diary’ is an effective way of self-monitoring, in terms of cognitive intervention. What things does a thought diary take into account?
- Event/trigger
- Thoughts/beliefs
- Emotional response
- Consequences + actions
- Thinking error
What is decisional balance intervention?
- Thinking about costs/benefits (pros/cons) of changing and not changing a specific behaviour.
- Determining what is involved in decision to change current habits
- Change is difficult - are costs worth it?
So look at costs/benefits of changing behaviour and then of maintaing behaviour - eg. taking regular exercise.
What is motivational interviewing?
- Goal - to encourage individuals to explore their own conflicting beliefs towards particular behaviour or change.
- Effective in decreasing smoking, alcohol/drug misuse, addictions, improving adherence to lifestyle changes etc.
- Cognitive dissonance - psychological discomfort of two opposing views, so consultant will try to help patient explore these feelings and increase levels of motivation.
What is Rational Emotive Therapy (Ellis, 1960s)
Usually requires a trained counsellor
- A - identify Activating event (trigger)
- B - identify Beliefs, assumptions + thoughts in response to A
- C - identify the emotional and behavioural Consequences of B
- D - Dispute irrational beliefs
- E - develop an Effective new rational outlook by restructuing belief system in order to acknowledge rational beliefs + discard irrational ones