W3 Therapeutic Techniques Flashcards
What evidence supports the effectiveness of psychotherapy?
Many psychotherapies have demonstrated effectiveness for a range of conditions, but specific mechanisms of change are still being explored.
What is often assumed about the mechanisms of therapy like CBT?
It’s assumed that CBT works primarily by changing maladaptive thoughts and behaviors, leading to improved outcomes.
What factors can influence the effectiveness of therapy?
Specific factors (like therapeutic techniques), common factors (like the therapeutic alliance), client characteristics, and extratherapeutic factors (like life events).
What are “common factors” in psychotherapy?
Attributes intrinsic to many therapies, such as therapeutic alliance, empathy, expectancies, instilling hope, and providing rationale for treatment.
What is the therapeutic alliance?
The bond between clinician and client, including agreement on therapy goals and tasks, which is crucial for positive outcomes.
How does empathy play a role in therapy?
Empathy allows therapists to understand and respond to a client’s emotional state, enhancing the therapeutic relationship and effectiveness.
What is the significance of expectation in therapy?
Instilling hope and a belief in the possibility of improvement can significantly impact client outcomes, even if it’s challenging to measure.
What are specific factors in therapy?
Techniques associated with specific therapies that can be standardized and taught to clinicians, like exposure techniques in CBT.
What is the science-practitioner model in psychology?
An integrative approach where scientific research informs practice and vice versa, emphasizing evidence-based therapy.
What are empirically supported therapies (ESTs)?
Therapies shown to be effective through rigorous research, typically including randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
What challenges exist in measuring therapy outcomes?
Difficulty in assessing specific components, potential biases in clinician assessments, and the influence of client perceptions.
What key issues did Lilienfeld et al. (2014) identify regarding psychotherapy effectiveness?
Naïve realism, confirmation bias, illusory causation, and the illusion of control can distort understanding of therapy outcomes.
How do client values and preferences influence therapy?
Clients may struggle to recognize change, leading to illusory placebo effects, palliative benefits, and demand characteristics impacting their reports of improvement.
What is a limitation of RCTs in psychotherapy research?
RCTs may not always generalize well due to selection criteria and attrition rates affecting who participates and completes the study.
What should effective therapy practices be based on?
A combination of research findings, clinical expertise, and client values and preferences, recognizing the limitations of each.
