FOUNDATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY Reply 1 LS

 

WEEK ONE DISCUSSION: FOUNDATION OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

LAURA SIMPSON

POSTMASTER CERTIFICATE In PMH, WALDEN UNIVERSITY

PRAC-6645C- PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH MULTIPLE MODALITIES

PROFESSOR: Dr. Tiffany James

SEPTEMBER 01, 2026.

Psychotherapy is a form of talk therapy where the patient can express psychological, physical, and emotional issues that affects mental wellbeing.

Psychotherapy is a collaborative treatment based on the relationship between an individual and a psychologist. Grounded in dialogue, it provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental (American Psychological Association, 2023).

• Explained whether psychotherapy has a biological basis.

Psychotherapy has a biological basis because therapeutic interventions and psychological exposure determine how the brain functions. The entire body can be affected by mental illness due to changes in the neural pathway and the stress response system. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Psychodynamic therapies are just a few talk therapies that helps the client to accept and manage their mental issues.

People receiving Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression consistently show changes in the fronto-cingulate–limbic circuitry, specifically in the medial prefrontal cortex and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (Gul et al., 2026). There are numerous neurotransmitters in the brain that controls various psychological issues such as anxiety and depression theses are serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.

• Explain how culture, religion, and socioeconomics might influence one’s perspective on the value of psychotherapy treatments.

An individual cultural belief can determine if the individual will utilize psychotherapy treatments. Some culture believes that talking to others about your mental illness is embarrassing and is showing a sign of weakness and as a result may not accept treatment.

Religion plays an intragyral part of many people’s lives. A patient will have a mental illness but because of their religion may or may not accept treatment. Some people will pray and fast hoping that their mental issues will resolve while others may embrace psychotherapy treatment viewing it as the answer to their problem.

Socioeconomic plays a major role in the type of psychotherapy treatment the individual with mental illness received. The individual may not have the money to pay for the treatment, continue treatment or select the type of psychotherapy treatment that is necessary based on the diagnosis.

• Describe how legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy differ from those for individual therapy

Therapy is a form of treatment for individuals struggling with mental illnesses and obtaining consent to provide treatment is both legal and ethical.

Group and family therapy legal and ethical considerations may be different from an individual therapy. The group therapy may lack privacy, and the family therapy involves family members and sometimes a close friend in the sessions with permission from the patient. These individuals would address issues that may have gone unnoticed or refused to be discussed by the patient.

The individual therapy allows the individual to control what information divulged and having the ability to make decisions independently without pressure from family and friends. Ethical issues in psychiatry and psychotherapy include the value judgments inherent in the irreducibly subjective aspects of the processes of formulating a diagnosis and setting treatment goals (Geppert et al., 2021).

• Explain how these differences might impact your therapeutic approaches for clients in group, individual, and family therapy.

The therapeutic approached for group therapy is to establish the need for confidentiality, respect and professionalism. There is no guarantee that individuals in the group will keep the information confidential therefore, rules and regulations will initially be discussed. The individual approach is much controlled, and the therapist will be able to develop a one-to-one professional relationship. Family therapy can be more difficult because each member will have their opinion on the type of treatments to initiate, which can result in confusion and resentment.

• Explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly.

The first reference

This supporting source is scholarly. The author’s information is credible, concise and current. The information is delivered in a manner that can be easily understood by the reader.

The second reference

This peer reviewed article is credible, current and well research. The writers provide information that is well researched and is easy to understand. This information can be utilized and share with colleagues, patients and families.

The third reference

The supporting source I used is considered scholarly because it was written by qualified professionals or researchers with expertise in the subject. The article was published by reputable academic or professional sources. Scholarly articles are peer-reviewed. The expert reviewed, scrutinized ensuring the article is factual before publication. Evidence based research, supported by current research and appropriate references, and not entertain opinion.

References

American Psychological Association. (2023, December 12). Understanding psychotherapy and how it works. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/understanding

Geppert, C. M. A., Brendel, R. W., & Trachsel, M. (2021). Editorial: Ethics in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.742218

Gul, N., Uppal, G., Maryum, M., Padiyan, K., & Babu, B. M. (2026). Biological Mechanisms of Psychotherapeutic Change: A Systematic Review of Neuroimmune, Autonomic and Epigenetic Changes Following CBT, Mindfulness Based and Trauma-Focused Therapies. In BJPsych Open (Vol. 12, Issue Suppl 1, pp. S88–S89). Cambridge University Press; PubMed Central. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.11143