Introduction to Psychotherapy and Therapy Types

Therapies

• Two main types of therapy exist: psychotherapy and biomedical therapies
• Psychotherapy treats emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems using psychological techniques to improve understanding and modify troubling behaviors or relationships
• Biomedical therapies use medications, electroconvulsive therapy, or other medical treatments to treat symptoms of psychological disorders

Seeking Help

• People enter psychotherapy for various reasons, including overcoming severe disorders, coping with daily challenges, addressing relationship issues, or gaining self-knowledge and personal fulfillment

Psychoanalytic Therapy

• Psychoanalysis is a therapy developed by Sigmund Freud, based on his theory of personality
• Free Association is a technique where patients report all thoughts, feelings, and mental images as they come to mind, to uncover unconscious conflicts
• During a psychoanalysis session, the patient typically lies on a couch, and the therapist sits out of the patient's view
• Dream Interpretation is a technique used in psychoanalysis where dream content is analyzed for disguised or symbolic wishes, meanings, and motivations
• Traditional psychoanalysis involves four-to-five weekly sessions for several years

Humanistic Therapy

• Client-centered therapy is a method of humanistic psychotherapy created by Carl Rogers
• In client-centered therapy, the therapist uses a non-directive and reflective approach, guiding the therapy based on the client's direction
• Rogers believes three qualities are essential: genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding
• These qualities create a safe, accepting, and valued therapeutic climate, allowing clients to explore problems

Behavior Therapy

• Behavior therapy uses learning principles including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning to directly address problem behaviors

• Techniques based on classical conditioning include Systematic Desensitization

  • A technique for reducing phobic responses by pairing relaxation with fear-provoking mental images

• Techniques based on operant conditioning include Token Economies

  • A method using a structured environment to reward desired behaviors with tokens or points exchangeable for tangible rewards

Cognitive Therapies

• Cognitive therapies are based on the idea that psychological problems stem from maladaptive thinking patterns
• Cognitive Therapy (CT) is used to change unrealistic beliefs
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) integrates cognitive and behavioral techniques and assumes thoughts, moods, and behaviors are interrelated

Group and Family Therapy

• Group therapy involves one or more therapists working with multiple individuals (3-10 or more) at clinics
• Group therapy is cost-effective and allows therapists to observe interactions among patients
• Group therapy reduces feelings of isolation and helps individuals understand that their problems are not unique experiences
• Family therapy focuses on people in committed relationships, emphasizing improved communication, intimacy or strengthening the relationship bond
• Family therapy views the family as a unit and aims to improve the family dynamic

Biomedical Therapies

• Biomedical therapies are medical treatments for psychological symptoms
• Biomedical therapies include medications and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Medications

• Antipsychotic Medications reduce psychotic symptoms, commonly used in treating schizophrenia
• Antianxiety Medications alleviate anxiety symptoms
• Antidepressant Medications are used to reduce depression symptoms

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

• ECT is a biomedical treatment for severe depression
• ECT involves electrically inducing a brief brain seizure after the client receives an anesthetic and muscle relaxants
• ECT has been shown to be effective for about 80% of patients with severe depression.