Psychology C2 - treatment and managements Flashcards
talking therapies - SIT
SIT
-Stress Inoculation Training (SIT)
stressful thinking
-stressors = things we have no control over
-we can control the way we think about stressors
-thinking about a stressor positively changes how we feel and behave - happier, optimistic and able to cope
-change in thinking comes first
inoculation
-Meichenbaum and Cameron (1973) created a therapy to target stress
-aims of SIT = protect us against stressors before they happen –> does this by exposing us to a bit of stress in a safe environment
-learn skills to cope with stress and apply them when we encounter bigger stressors in the future
practical issues
-how long therapy lasts depends on the client, norm = 9-12 sessions
-each session = an hour long
-SIT is divided into three phases
-in practice there is overlap, clients have to work backwards to move forward
phase one – cognitive preparation
-SIT starts with a client and therapist identifies an understands the stressors faced by the client
-Meichenbaum (2007) states that relationships between client and therapist = important for success
-should be collaborating, therapist = supportive, client = responsible for progress
-client learns that stressors can be overcome by seeing them as challenges rather than threats
-stressor = broken into small parts to help cope with them
phase two – skill acquisition
-client learn skills they need to cope with stress
-therapist has a ‘toolbox’ of skills (relaxation, social skills, time management etc.)
-choice of skills = tailored to client’s specific needs, most benefit from learning to use self-talk – includes coping self-statements, replace anxious internal dialogue
-client practices skills in safe environment of clinic
phase three – application and follow-through – personal experiments
-client gradually transfers skills to the real world by conducting personal experiments – homework tasks set by the therapist, the client can apply their coping skills in stressful situations
phase three – application and follow-through –
relapse prevention
-SIT accepts that setbacks are inevitable, client learns how to cope with them before they happen
-client learns to view setbacks as temporary learning opportunities, not permanent failures
-therapist helps client see that success is down to their own skills
practical uses
(evaluation)
+
-it is practically useful in meeting clients’ needs
-it is a flexible therapy, employs wide ranges of stress management techniques in the skill acquisition phase
-suitable for older people or people with learning support needs
-also used with individuals, couples, small and large groups, online use (Litz et al., 2004) and in different settings
-so flexible it can help manage any kind of stress (Spiegler 2012)
-SIT = useful as it can be applied to new and unpredictable stressful situations
support for effectiveness
(evaluation)
+
-it has received support from several research studies
-example, one study used SIT with first-year uni law students, group included students who scored highly on measures pf stress
-therapy course was short (4 90 mins sessions)
-students showed lower levels of stress afterwards compared with control group
-pps experiencing SIT showed lower levels of anxiety
-those predicted to be in bottom 20% made substantial improvements (Sheehy and Horan)
-findings shows that a practical and manageable SIT course can help students cope with stress
too complex
(evaluation)
-
-it is unnecessarily complicated
-SIT uses lots of different cognitive and behavioural techniques to target a wide variety of stressors and situations – different techniques = unlikely to be equally effective
-hard for researchers to pinpoint exactly what it is about SIT that works
-means that benefits of SIT could be achieved more easily with other types of therapy
