Topic: Autobiographical Psychosocial History
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Psychological_Therapies_McAlhaney.pptPSY 150 Announcements
- Special guest speaker on Wed, Dec 3. Autumn Austin, LPC will share professional/personal insights into therapy.
- Week 15 activity is due Friday, Dec 5 by midnight.
- Your term paper is due by Dec 10 at midnight.
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PSY 150 2B5
MCALHANEY
Psychological Therapies
Psy 150: Mr. McAlhaney
Introduction
The popular conception of therapy is that of the classic talk therapy; a client, a couch and a psychologist with a notepad and pencil in hand.
While some approaches do utilize this method, there are numerous types of therapy that can be used to help a client overcome problems. In all cases, the goal of therapy is to provide a nonjudgmental environment that allows the client and therapy provider to work together towards a mutually agreed upon set of goals.
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Types of Therapy
The following are just a few of the many different types of therapy available and that we will discuss today.
Psychotherapy
CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
Group Therapy
Client-Centered Therapy
Biological Treatments
Psychoanalytic Therapy
- Psychoanalytic therapy is one of the most well-known treatment modalities, but it is also one of the most misunderstood by mental health consumers.
- Founded by Sigmund Freud.
- Often referred to as "talk therapy."
Founded by Sigmund Freud, psychoanalytic therapists generally spend time listening to patients talk about their lives, which is why this method is often referred to as "talk therapy." The therapy provider will look for patterns or significant events that may play a role in the client’s current difficulties. Psychoanalysts believe that childhood events and unconscious feelings, thoughts and motivations play a role in mental illness and maladaptive behaviors.
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Benefits of Psychoanalytic Therapy
- The therapist offers an empathetic and nonjudgmental environment.
- The client can feel safe in revealing feelings or actions that have led to stress or tension in his or her life.
- Oftentimes, simply sharing these burdens with another person can have a beneficial influence.
While this type of therapy has many critics who claim that psychoanalytic therapy is too time consuming, expensive and generally ineffective, this treatment has several benefits as well. The therapist offers an empathetic and nonjudgmental environment where the client can feel safe in revealing feelings or actions that have led to stress or tension in his or her life. Oftentimes, simply sharing these burdens with another person can have a beneficial influence.
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Substituting healthy thoughts for negative ones
- Changing disruptive behaviors for healthy ones
Cognitive therapists tend to focus on specific problems. These therapists believe that irrational thinking or faulty perceptions cause dysfunctions.
Behavioral therapists work to change problematic behaviors that have been trained through years of reinforcement.
A cognitive therapist may work with a client to change thought patterns. This type of therapy is often effective for clients suffering from depression or anxiety.
A good example of behavioral therapy would be a therapist working with a client to overcome a fear of heights. The therapist would encourage the client to gradually face their fear of heights through experience. The client might first imagine standing on the roof of a tall building or riding an escalator. Next, the client would slowly expose themselves to greater and greater levels of their fear until the phobia diminishes or disappears entirely.
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Benefits of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Cognitive and behavioral approaches can be highly effective when treating specific problems.
- Oftentimes, cognitive and behavioral approaches are combined when treating a disorder.
- Recommended as the first line treatment for most anxiety disorders
A therapist treating a client with social anxiety may help the client form more accurate thinking patterns as well as focusing on specific behaviors, such as social avoidance.
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Mindfulness CBT
- Mindfulness practice helps one to see more clearly the patterns of the mind; and to learn how to recognize when their mood is beginning to go down. This means one can ‘nip it in the bud’ much earlier than before.
- Mindfulness teaches you a way in which you can get back in touch with the experience of being alive.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and chronic unhappiness. It combines the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. The heart of this work lies in becoming acquainted with the modes of mind that often characterize mood disorders while simultaneously learning to develop a new relationship to them.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puzAe4G6uDw#t=31
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmEo6RI4Wvs#t=29
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Group Therapy
- Patients work together with the aid of a leader
- Helps patients see how other people are struggling with similar problems
- One therapist can help a large number at a reduced cost
Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy where two or more clients work with one or more therapists or counselors.
This methods is a popular format for support groups, where group members can learn from the experiences of others and offer advice.
This method is also more cost effective than individual psychotherapy and is oftentimes more effective.
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Benefits of Group Therapy
It is common for those suffering from a mental illness or problem behavior to feel alone, isolated or different.
- Group therapy can help clients by providing a peer group of individuals that are currently experiencing the same symptoms or who have recovered from a similar problem.
- Group members can also provide emotional support and a safe forum to practice new behaviors.
Client-Centered Therapy
Developed by humanist psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1940s, client-centered therapy focuses on the individual's ability to direct his own growth and change.
- The therapist's job is to provide a safe, empathetic environment.
- In client-centered therapy, the therapist and client are equal partners.
The therapist's job is to provide a safe, empathetic environment in which the client has the room to realize his own potential and take steps to maximize that potential. Rogers was one of the first psychologists to use the term "client" rather than "patient," as he felt the latter term set up a relationship of inequality. In client-centered therapy, the therapist and client are equal partners.
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Client-Centered Therapist Traits
According to the tenets of client-centered therapy, the therapist must demonstrate three core traits:
- Congruence: The therapist is open and honest, always stating exactly what he means. This congruence is evident in a genuine regard for the client rather than a stiff professional manner.
- Empathy: The therapist shows a genuine understanding and concern for the client's thoughts and feelings, and accepts them without judgment.
Client-Centered Therapist Traits
- Unconditional Positive Regard: The therapist recognizes the innate value of the client as a human being and fully accepts her, regardless of thoughts or behaviors. Although the therapist may disagree with certain actions, she recognizes that those actions are not indicative of the client's innate personality.
Client-Centered Therapy Practices
Client-centered therapists utilize a wide variety of techniques and practices, shaping each session to the needs of the client. However, all client-centered therapy follows a few basic tenets:
Client-Centered Therapy Practices
Psychological Contact
Therapist Genuineness
Client Acceptance
Non-Directive Approach
Psychological Contact: The therapist-client relationship must be established early and maintained throughout the therapy process. Both parties must be fully "there."
Therapist Genuineness: Client-centered therapists recognize that clients are inherently vulnerable and self-protective, or there would be no need for therapy. But the therapist must strive to remain genuine, open and honest at all times. This protects the therapist-client relationship and provides a model of genuine behavior for the client to follow.
Client Acceptance: It is necessary during the course of therapy to set appropriate limits on behavior. For example, sessions are usually limited to one hour, breaking windows or furniture is not permitted, and acting on feelings of "love" for the therapist is prohibited. Within the bounds of safety and ethics, however, all feelings and actions are fully accepted.
Non-Directive Approach: The goal of therapy is the client's recognition of his own self-worth and potential, as well as steps he can take to maximize that potential. The therapist's job is to facilitate this process rather than assigning tasks or running the show.
For example: Although Tony sometimes talked about stealing cars, his therapist recognized that Tony's behaviors did not reflect his basic personality. Through client-centered therapy, Tony was able to recognize his own desire for wealth and power, and take socially appropriate steps to achieve his goals.
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Review of Non-Drug Therapies
Biological Treatments
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Drug Therapies
- Major reasons for widespread use of drugs
- Drugs are effective at treating disorders
- Drug therapies are often less expensive that psychotherapy
Antipsychotic Drugs
- Used for schizophrenia or psychosis
- All antipsychotics block dopamine receptors in the brain
- Phenothiazines (Thorazine)
Antidepressant Drugs
- Tricyclics and MAO inhibitors
- Most common antidepressants prior to late 1980s
- Work by increasing amount of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine
- Effective, but have serious side effects
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin
- Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor
Action of SSRIs
Lithium
- A naturally occurring salt that is used to treat bipolar disorder (manic depression)
- Nobody knows how lithium works to alleviate symptoms
- Problem with people stopping medication when symptoms ease
Other Medications
- Psychostimulants
- Use to treat disorders such as AD/HD
- Concern that psychostimulants are being overused
- Antianxiety medications
- Use to treat anxiety disorders
- Produce a feeling of calm and mild euphoria
- Valium is a common antianxiety medication
Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Commonly known as “shock therapy”
- Used as a treatment for severe depression
- Causes brief convulsions and temporary loss of consciousness
- Memory loss is a side-effect
- Newer techniques minimize effects on memory
Psychosurgery
- Brain surgery performed to change a person’s behavior or emotional state
- A prefrontal lobotomy is an example
- Psychosurgery is rarely used today
Kinds of Therapist
The Therapy Game!
Around the room are noted various approaches to therapy. I am going to give you a particular disorder or personal issue and ask you to move towards the therapy you feel/think is the best approach for the issue/disorder.
If called on, you should explain why you made your decision.
