Therapy Flashcards
psychoanalysis
- based on Freud
- through free-association, dreams, etc., the therapist and patient gain insight and express previously repressed feelings
- “laying on a couch”
transference
when a patient “transfers” their unresolved feelings about someone onto the therapist (ex: “you’re too demanding, just like my mother”)
psychodynamic therapy
- influenced by Freud
- focuses on themes across relationships and looking into childhood experiences
- difficult to tell how effective it is as it is hard to test unconscious drives
humanistic therapies
- emphasizes people’s potential for self-growth
- self-awareness and self-acceptance
- focuses on the present/future, conscious thoughts, taking responsibility, and growth
- uses term “clients” instead of “patients” in order to reduce stigma
active listening
- (idea of how therapists should behave)
- paraphrase
- invite clarification
- reflect feelings
client-centered therapy (person-centered therapy)
focuses on:
* self-concept vs reality
* unconditional acceptance
* active listening from therapist
* patient should ultimately determine course of therapy
self-help and support groups
came from humanist perspective; revolutionary when they were first starting out
behavior therapies
applies learning principles (reinforcement, punishment, contingencies)
counterconditioning
exposure therapies and aversive conditioning
exposure therapies (Mary Cover Jones)
overcome fear and anxiety by breaking the pattern of avoidance
* systematic densensitization
* virtual reality
* flooding
aversive conditioning
pairing a bad habit with a “punishment”
ex: alcohol and poisoning - mixing small amount of poison in alcohol makes person sick, person associates sick feeling with alcohol and no longer wants to drink it
systematic desensitization (Joseph Wolpe)
- person masters relaxation techniques and creates “anxiety hierarchy”
- then are gradually exposed to what they fear in a controlled environment
ex: person can think of a spider and relax, then they can look at a picture of a spider, then look at a video of a spider, etc
flooding
the person is fully exposed to their fear in a harmless and controlled situation
token economy
person receives a reward for good behavior in the form of a token; they can exchange those tokens for real-life rewards
cognitive therapies
- thinking influences our feelings
- so how do we change our feelings…?
cognitive-behavioral-therapy (CBT)
- most studied and commonly used to treat psychological disorders
- as effective as drugs in anxiety treatment
types of CBT
- rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
- cognitive therapy
rational-emotive therapy (REBT) (Albert Ellis)
- disorders are the result of illogical beliefs and assumptions
- pointing out inappropriate beiefs can allow patients to alter behaviors
cognitive restructuring
patient modifies, challenges, or replaces their previous beliefs (ex: “i got a 2 on my AP exam so my future is gone”)
awfulizing
- technique used in REBT
- therapis exaggerates the patient’s negative thinking until the person sees it as irrational
(ex: “you’re right, because your partner broke up with you, no one will ever love you”)
cognitive therapy (Aaron Beck)
based on the cognitive triad
cognitive triad
negative thoughts about:
* self
* the world
* the future
(all are examples of cognitive disortions)
catastrophizing
blowing the actual problem out of proportion (ex: “i didn’t get into my first choice college so my life is over”)
all-or-none thinking
ex: “he never texted me back; i must be a total loser”
personalization
ex: “the teacher didn’t call on me because she hates me”
group & family therapies
helps people realize their problems are not unique
biomedical perspective
idea that disorders can be traced to genetics or the physical structure of the brain
what are examples of alternative therapies ?
- eye-movement
- bee stings
- trepanation
- light exposure
antipsychotic drugs
- calms patients
- block dopamine receptor sites (excess dopamine is linked to schizophrenia)
antianxiety drugs
- depress nervous system activity
- ex: xanax
antidepressant drugs
- increase serotonin (prozac) (SSRIs)
- used to treat anxiety as well as depression
- lithium carbonate (treat bipolar disorder)
- aerobic exercise is usually as effective
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
- works especially in treating depression
- results in seizures and short-term memory loss
lobotomy
surgical operant involving incision into the prefrontal lobe of the brain, formerly used to treat mental illness
