Psychotherapy and Treatments Overview

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What is a primary focus of humanistic approaches compared to psychoanalysis?

Interpretation of dreams

Basic urges and tension reduction

Search for meaning and self-actualization (correct)

Fixation on childhood experiences

Which therapy is characterized by genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding?

Psychoanalytic therapy

Gestalt therapy

Client-centered therapy (correct)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

What is the goal of Gestalt therapy?

To achieve insight into childhood conflicts

To integrate inconsistent aspects of oneself (correct)

To modify behavior through reinforcement

To uncover repressed memories

Which of the following is NOT a principle of behavioral therapy?

Psychodynamic exploration Signup and view all the answers

In exposure techniques, what is the purpose of systematic desensitization?

To reduce anxiety by gradual exposure to feared stimuli Signup and view all the answers

What therapeutic technique uses tokens to reinforce positive behaviors?

Behavioral modification Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes the view of experiential therapy?

All humans are oriented toward growth Signup and view all the answers

What aspect does behavioral therapy primarily target for change?

Maladaptive behaviors and habits Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of behavioral therapy techniques such as modeling?

Facilitate learning through observation and imitation Signup and view all the answers

What does vicarious reinforcement involve?

Learning conditioned responses through observation of others Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic feature of rational emotive behavioral therapy?

It actively challenges irrational beliefs Signup and view all the answers

In cognitive therapy, what is the primary goal when addressing maladaptive thought patterns?

To change a client’s thoughts to produce adaptive responses Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes cognitive restructuring?

Replacing maladaptive beliefs with rational ones Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of a thought record in cognitive therapy?

To help clients identify and restructure negative thoughts Signup and view all the answers

Who pioneered rational emotive behavioral therapy?

Albert Ellis Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of psychoanalytic therapy as developed by Sigmund Freud?

Exploration of unconscious conflicts from childhood Signup and view all the answers

What is primarily challenged in cognitive therapies?

Maladaptive thought patterns Signup and view all the answers

What method do contemporary psychodynamic therapists typically use in contrast to Freud's original approach?

Face-to-face meetings rather than reclining on a couch Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to a therapeutic method where patients express their thoughts without censorship?

Free association Signup and view all the answers

In classical psychoanalysis, what does the term 'resistance' refer to?

The avoidance of discussing certain painful topics Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following concepts is about linking thoughts and behaviors to earlier personal experiences in psychoanalysis?

Interpretation Signup and view all the answers

What fundamental belief characterizes humanistic therapy?

Individuals must take responsibility for their actions Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes the emotional responses a patient has that mirror their feelings towards significant figures in their life?

Transference Signup and view all the answers

What kind of disorder was historically referred to as 'hysteria' in the context of classical psychoanalysis?

Conversion disorder Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Therapies and Treatments

Psychotherapy encompasses various approaches to treating mental and psychological issues.
Experts estimate over 400 different approaches exist.
Today's focus is on four key types: insight therapies, behavioral therapies, cognitive & CBT, and biological/biomedical therapies.
Early therapies for psychological disorders were based on the idea that evil spirits or other supernatural forces caused the disorders.
Trephination, a practice involving drilling holes in the skull, was an early attempt to release evil spirits.
Sixteenth-century "hospitals for the insane" were established in Europe but conditions were often barbaric.
Patients were sometimes displayed to the public for a fee.
In 1814, there were 96,000 exhibitions at London's Bethlehem Hospital.
Other early therapies included centrifugal-force beds and swinging beds that were used for patients.
1897, general paresis was found to be a consequence of syphilis, impacting understanding on mental disorders.
Sigmund Freud's "talking cure" in the late 19th century focused on environmental and social factors as origins of disorders.
Sigmund Freud was a pioneer in psychological therapy and proposed the term Hysteria, a group of symptoms previously related to physical/psychological issues rather than physical causes.

Types of Therapy: Insight Therapies

Insight therapies aim to increase understanding of one's difficulties and sort out potential solutions.

Classical Psychoanalysis

Sigmund Freud pioneered psychological therapy.
Hysteria, now called conversion disorder, was an older term that used to describe disorders with both physical and psychological symptoms.
Psychogenic disorders, those with psychological causes rather than physical, were emphasized by Freud.
Freud theorized emotionally charged memories are repressed and manifested as physical symptoms.
Free association: patients express whatever comes to mind, regardless of its apparent triviality, embarrassment, or disagreeableness.
Resistance: patients' avoidance or self-censorship of sensitive topics.
Psychoanalysis is a therapeutic approach developed by Sigmund Freud.
Conflicts rooted in childhood are the basis of clinical symptoms, according to Freud.
Interpretations are explanations connecting thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to prior life experiences in psychoanalysis.
Transference is the tendency of patients to respond to therapists as they would to significant figures in their lives that influences life outcomes and provides an opportunity for emotional re-education.

Psychodynamic Approaches

Contemporary psychodynamic therapies use insights from Freud's approaches, but with modifications that include adaptive coping abilities.
They are less frequent, using regular meetings vs. Freud's couch sessions.

Humanistic Therapies

Humanistic approach states that people must take responsibility for their own lives and actions.
Regarded psychoanalysis as overly focused on basic urges, tension reduction, and the past.
Instead, focus is on the present to encourage meaning, self-actualization.
Client-centered therapy (person-centered therapy): genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathy.
Carl Rogers pioneered the method, helping clients accept themselves without pretense.
Gestalt therapy: patients integrate conflicting aspects of their personalities by increasing self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Fritz Pearls is a pioneer of Gestalt therapy.
Experiential therapy: a collective term for current humanistic therapies focused on growth-oriented living, focusing on living more actively, & deeply rejecting the notion of transference.

Types of Therapy: Behavioral Therapies

Behavioral therapies are based on learning principles; therapists directly alter maladaptive habits & change overt behaviors.
Classical and operant conditioning, as well as modeling are emphasized in behavioral treatments to address learning and behavior change.
Exposure techniques aim to reduce anxiety about feared stimuli through repeated exposure.
Systematic desensitization: involves periods of relaxation between gradually increasing encounters with the feared stimulus.
Behavioral modification techniques are instrumental/operant conditioning which reinforces relationships between acts and consequences.
Token economy: a technique using operant conditioning to reinforce positive behaviors with tokens that can be exchanged for desirable items.
Modeling: Observational techniques where patients learn new skills by observing and imitating others or participants.
Vicarious reinforcement: when a learner acquires a conditioned response by observing another participant who is being conditioned.

Types of Therapy: Cognitive Therapies

Cognitive therapies address maladaptive thought patterns.
Cognitive approaches propose that maladaptive behaviors arise from errors in thinking.
Treatment in Cognitive Therapies, focusing on thought patterns, aims to change thinking to create positive behavioral and emotional responses.
Rational emotive behavioral therapy is a form of cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that actively challenges patients' irrational beliefs.
A & C (activating events, consequences) are linked together by B (beliefs).
Cognitive Restructuring is a technique to replace maladaptive beliefs with more rational beliefs.
Thought Record is a worksheet to allow for clients to identify, evaluate, and restructure negative automatic thoughts.

Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a hybrid that combines cognitive and behavioral approaches for changing habitual interpretations about life and actions.
General principles in CBT include present focus, identify problems to solve, structured sessions with homework, and transparent goal discussions.

Types of Therapy: Biological Therapies

Biological therapies view psychological disorders through a physiological lens.
Psychopharmacotherapy (drug therapy) aims to ameliorate symptoms by addressing biological malfunctions that cause psychological disorders.
Major medication categories include anti-anxiety, antipsychotic, and antidepressant medications.

Biomedical Therapies: Psychopharmacotherapy

Anti-anxiety meds (Valium, Xanax, Buspar) relieve apprehension and tension.
Antipsychotic meds (Thorazine, Mellaril, Haldol)reduce symptoms such as hyperactivity, mental confusion, hallucinations, and delusions in psychotic patients.
Antidepressant meds (e.g., SSRIs like Prozac) gradually elevate mood, treating depression.
Mood stabilizers (Lithium and Valproic acid) treat bipolar disorder.

Biomedical Therapies: Other

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): involves brief electric shocks to produce a cortical seizure.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): temporarily enhances or depresses brain activity to alleviate depression symptoms.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS): surgically implants electrodes into the brain to treat motor disturbances such as Parkinson's disease.

Contemporary Therapy

Contemporary therapy providers vary in licensing levels and provide psychological/biological therapies.
Providers primarily offering psychological therapies include clinical psychologists, marriage/family/child counselors, mental health counselors, and clinical social workers.
Administration of biological therapies requires a license
There's debate on the appropriate individuals for prescribing medications for psychological problems.

Cultural Considerations

Rapport (trust, respect, comfort) is key to successful interventions for psychological disorders, regardless of client's beliefs or values.
Cultural competence means understanding how cultural backgrounds shape beliefs, values, and expectations, allowing for culturally appropriate therapy practices.
Issues concerning the treatment of certain populations from specific cultural contexts need to be addressed.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

This quiz explores various approaches to psychotherapy and treatments for mental health issues. Focusing on four key types—insight therapies, behavioral therapies, cognitive therapies, and biological treatments—it also delves into the historical context of psychological therapies and early practices. Test your knowledge and learn about the evolution of mental health treatment.