psych chapter 16

Psychotherapy

(also, psychodynamic psychotherapy) psychological treatment that employs various methods to help someone overcome personal problems, or to attain personal growth

unconditional positive regard

fundamental acceptance of a person regardless of what they say or do; term associated with humanistic psychology

family therapy

special form of group therapy consisting of one or more families

the psychodynamic perspective.

Today, Freud's psychoanalytical perspective has been expanded upon by the developments of subsequent theories and methodologies: ______. This approach to therapy remains centered on the role of people's internal drives and forces, but treatment is less intensive than Freud's original model.

counterconditioning

classical conditioning therapeutic technique in which a client learns a new response to a stimulus that has previously elicited an undesirable behavior. Two counterconditioning techniques are aversive conditioning and exposure therapy

token economy

controlled setting where individuals are reinforced for desirable behaviors with tokens (e.g., poker chip) that be exchanged for items or privileges. operant conditioning style. Token economies are often used in psychiatric hospitals to increase patient cooperation and activity levels. Patients are rewarded with tokens when they engage in positive behaviors (e.g., making their beds, brushing their teeth, coming to the cafeteria on time, and socializing with other patients). They can later exchange the tokens for extra TV time, private rooms, visits to the canteen, and so on.

exposure therapy

counterconditioning technique in which a therapist seeks to treat a client's fear or anxiety by presenting the feared object or situation with the idea that the person will eventually get used to it. In other words, expose the individual to the stimulus that frightens them. For example, if I have a fear of heights that I want to overcome, I will need to be exposed to the fearful stimulus (heights). A popular form of exposure therapy is systematic desensitization

aversive conditioning

counterconditioning technique that pairs an unpleasant stimulant with an undesirable behavior. Therapists apply this technique to eliminate addictive behaviors, such as smoking, nail biting, and drinking. In aversion therapy, clients will typically engage in a specific behavior (such as nail biting) and at the same time are exposed to something unpleasant, such as a mild electric shock or a bad taste. After repeated associations between the unpleasant stimulus and the behavior, the client can learn to stop the unwanted behavior.

Humanistic psychology

focuses on helping people achieve their potential; the goal of humanistic therapy is to help people become more self-aware and accepting of themselves. In contrast to psychoanalysis, humanistic therapists focus on conscious rather than unconscious thoughts. They also emphasize the patient's present and future, as opposed to exploring the patient's past

Rational Emotive Therapy

form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (RET)

systematic desensitization

form of exposure therapy used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders by exposing a person to the feared object or situation through a stimulus hierarchy. wherein a calm and pleasant state is gradually associated with increasing levels of anxiety-inducing stimuli. For example, if I have a fear of heights, a therapist can have me teach on the second floor for a semester; if that goes well, I teach on the third floor the following semester, and so forth.

cognitive behavioral therapy

form of psychotherapy that aims to change cognitive distortions and self-defeating behaviors

cognitive therapy

form of psychotherapy that focuses on how a person's thoughts lead to feelings of distress, with the aim of helping them change these irrational thoughts. The idea behind cognitive therapy is that how you think determines how you feel and act. Cognitive therapists help their clients change dysfunctional thoughts in order to relieve distress. They help a client see how they misinterpret a situation (cognitive distortion). For example, a client may overgeneralize. Because Ray failed one test in his Psychology 101 course, he feels he is stupid and worthless. These thoughts then cause his mood to worsen. Therapists also help clients recognize when they blow things out of proportion. Because Ray failed his Psychology 101 test, he has concluded that he's going to fail the entire course and probably flunk out of college altogether. These errors in thinking have contributed to Ray's feelings of distress. His therapist will help him challenge these irrational beliefs, focus on their illogical basis, and correct them with more logical and rational thoughts and beliefs.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

helps clients examine how their thoughts affect their behavior. It aims to change cognitive distortions and self-defeating behaviors at the same time; it is, essentially, a therapeutic technique that combines the above mentioned two.

comorbid disorder

individual who has two or more diagnoses, which often includes a substance abuse diagnosis and another psychiatric diagnosis, such as depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia

asylum

institution created for the specific purpose of housing people with psychological disorders

Rogerian (client-centered therapy)

non-directive form of humanistic psychotherapy developed by Carl Rogers that emphasizes unconditional positive regard and self-acceptance. Note the change from "patients" to "clients." Rogers felt that the term "patient" suggested the person seeking help was sick and looking for a cure. Since this is a form of non-directive therapy, a therapeutic approach in which the therapist does not give advice or provide interpretations but helps the person to identify conflicts and understand feelings, Rogers emphasized the importance of the person taking control of his own life to overcome life's challenges.

transference

process in psychoanalysis in which the patient transfers all of the positive or negative emotions associated with the patient's other relationships to the psychoanalyst. For example, Crystal is seeing a psychoanalyst. During the years of therapy, she comes to see her therapist as a father figure. She transfers her feelings about her father onto her therapist, perhaps in an effort to gain the love and attention she did not receive from her own father.

Deinstitutionalization

process of closing large asylums and integrating people back into the community where they can be treated locally

relapse

repeated drug use and/or alcohol use after a period of improvement from substance abuse

dream analysis

technique in psychoanalysis in which patients recall their dreams and the psychoanalyst interprets them to reveal unconscious desires or struggles. There are two parts to the dream, according to Freud. The manifest content is the remembered part of the dream; the actual content, or storyline, of a dream. The latent content, on the other hand, refers to the hidden meaning of a dream. For instance, if a woman dreams about being chased by a snake, Freud might have argued that this represents the woman's fear of sexual intimacy.

free association

technique in psychoanalysis in which the patient says whatever comes to mind at the moment

nondirective therapy

therapeutic approach in which the therapist does not give advice or provide interpretations but helps the person identify conflicts and understand feelings

Psychoanalysis

therapeutic orientation developed by Sigmund Freud that employs free association, dream analysis, and transference to uncover repressed feelings. Freud's therapeutic technique; in free association, the patient relaxes and then says whatever comes to mind at the moment (with the assumption that the patient, by virtue of talking about whatever is on their mind, will lead the therapist into their unconscious). However, Freud felt that the ego would at times try to block, or repress, unacceptable urges or painful conflicts during free association. Consequently, a patient would demonstrate resistance to recalling these thoughts or situations. is a therapy approach that typically takes years. Over the course of time, the patient reveals a great deal about himself to the therapist. Freud suggested that during this patient-therapist relationship, the patient comes to develop strong feelings for the therapist—maybe positive feelings, maybe negative feelings. Freud called this transference:

behavior therapy

therapeutic orientation that employs principles of learning to help clients change undesirable behaviors. Therapists with this orientation believe that dysfunctional behaviors, like phobias and bedwetting, can be changed by teaching clients new, more constructive behaviors. Behavior therapy employs both classical and operant conditioning techniques to change behavior. One type of behavior therapy utilizes classical conditioning techniques. Therapists using these techniques believe that dysfunctional behaviors are conditioned responses. Applying the conditioning principles developed by Ivan Pavlov, these therapists seek to recondition their clients and thus change their behavior.f

play therapy

therapeutic process, often used with children, that employs toys to help them resolve psychological problems. This technique uses a therapeutic process of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth. The idea is that children play out their hopes, fantasies, and traumas while using dolls, stuffed animals, and sandbox figurines. Play therapy can also be used to help a therapist make a diagnosis. The therapist observes how the child interacts with toys (e.g., dolls, animals, and home settings) in an effort to understand the roots of the child's disturbed behavior. Play therapy can be non-directive or directive. In non-directive play therapy, children are encouraged to work through their problems by playing freely while the therapist observes.

Confidentiality

therapist cannot disclose confidential communications to any third party, unless mandated or permitted by law

structural family therapy

therapist examines and discusses with the family the boundaries and structure of the family: who makes the rules, who sleeps in the bed with whom, how decisions are made, and what are the boundaries within the family

Strategic Family Therapy

therapist guides the therapy sessions and develops treatment plans for each family member for specific problems that can addressed in a short amount of time

intake

therapist's first meeting with the client in which the therapist gathers specific information to address the client's immediate needs

cultural competence

therapist's understanding and attention to issues of race, culture, and ethnicity in providing treatment

voluntary treatment

therapy that a person chooses to attend in order to obtain relief from her symptoms

involuntary treatment

therapy that is mandated by the courts or other systems. Some individuals, with serious psychological disorders (for example, schizophrenia), will, occasionally, require involuntary treatment.

group therapy

treatment modality in which 5-10 people with the same issue or concern meet together with a trained clinician

individual therapy

treatment modality in which the client and clinician meet one-on-one. to many undergoing group therapy, it helps decrease the shame and guilt that comes from having a psychological disorder.

biomedical therapy

treatment that involves medication and/or medical procedures to treat psychological disorders. Medications used to treat psychological disorders are called psychotropic medications and are prescribed by medical doctors, including psychiatrists. Antipsychotic drugs (such as Thorazine) help treat schizophrenia and other severe thought disorders; primarily works by blocking dopamine activity. Antianxiety drugs (such as Xanax) control anxiety and agitation; primarily works by increasing the neurotransmitter GABA. Antidepressant drugs (such as Zoloft and Paxil) treat depression and anxiety disorders; primarily works by increasing the amounts of serotonin and norepinephrine. Medications are often used in combination with psychotherapy, but they also are taken by individuals not in therapy.

couples therapy

two people in an intimate relationship, such as husband and wife, who are having difficulties and are trying to resolve them with therapy

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

type of biomedical therapy that involves using an electrical current to induce seizures in a person to help alleviate the effects of severe depression. (formerly known by its unscientific name as electroshock therapy). It involves using an electrical current to induce seizures to help alleviate the effects of severe depression. The exact mechanism is unknown, although it does help alleviate symptoms for people with severe depression who have not responded to traditional drug therapy.

virtual reality exposure therapy

uses a simulation rather than the actual feared object or situation to help people conquer their fears