Psychotherapy: The
treatment of behavioral and emotional disorders using
psychological techniques
I. Psychoanalysis (Freud)
Goal: Bring repressed motives, desires, impulses, &
conflicts into consciousness so that the person can deal with
them.
Method:
free association
interpretations by the therapist
Associated Terms:
resistance
transference (positive & negative)
catharsis
II. Humanistic Therapies
Designed to help clients attain self-fulfillment by boosting
self-awareness & self-acceptance.
Person-Centered Therapy (Carl Rogers): A non-directive
form of therapy that calls for the therapist to exhibit
acceptance and empathy for the client in order for the client to
become fully-functioning.
Method:
active listening
unconditional positive regard
Gestalt Therapy (Fritz Perls): Form of therapy where
the therapist emphasizes the wholeness of the personality
and attempts to reawaken people's emotions in the
here-and-now.
Methods:
Take responsibility for feelings by saying "I choose"
rather than, "I have to" or "I want" rather than "I need".
Always speak in the first person |
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III. Behavioral Therapies
Therapies that use operant or classical conditioning
principles to change behavior.
Classical conditioning:
Counterconditioning: aims to condition new
behaviors in response to stimuli that once elicited unwanted
behaviors.
Aversive conditioning: aims to associate an
unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior (often used to treat
addictions)
Systematic Desensitization: associate a relaxed,
pleasant state with gradually increasing anxiety-provoking
stimuli (excellent for treating phobias)
Operant Conditioning Techniques:
Behavior modification: aims to use positive &
negative reinforcement to change behavior.
Behavioral contracting
Token economies (both are used in classrooms &
hospitals)
IV. Cognitive Therapy
Therapy aimed at changing a person's irrational thoughts
and perceptions in order to achieve a change in behavior
Rational Emotive Therapy (Albert Ellis): Confrontational
therapy where the therapist actively challenges the client's
self-defeating beliefs and cognitions.
Beck's Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Less
confrontational that RET, but same idea. the aim is to change
the maladaptive beliefs of depressed patients by gently helping
them see how irrational their cognitions truly are.
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