Therapy and Treatment – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering historical developments, therapy types, techniques, medications, treatment settings, addiction issues, and sociocultural considerations in mental health care.

Therapy

Professional treatment aimed at relieving psychological or behavioral problems.

Mental Health Treatment Prevalence

About 19% of U.S. adults and 13% of adolescents experience mental illness annually; one-third to one-half of affected teens receive care.

Exorcism

Religious ritual using prayers/incantations to expel supposed demonic forces causing mental illness.

Trephining

Ancient practice of drilling a hole in the skull to release evil spirits; often fatal.

Asylum

18th-century institution created to house, not treat, people with psychological disorders.

Philippe Pinel

French physician who pioneered humane, unchained treatment of the mentally ill in the late 1700s.

Dorothea Dix

19th-century U.S. reformer who lobbied for state-funded, regulated mental asylums.

Deinstitutionalization

Mid-20th-century movement closing large asylums in favor of community-based care.

Involuntary Treatment

Therapy mandated without a patient’s choice, e.g., court-ordered counseling.

Voluntary Treatment

Therapy an individual willingly seeks for symptom relief.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Talk therapy focusing on unconscious and childhood conflicts influencing behavior.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s original psychotherapy aimed at uncovering repressed feelings.

Free Association

Psychoanalytic technique where clients speak freely to reveal unconscious thoughts.

Dream Analysis

Interpreting latent meanings of dreams to understand unconscious conflicts.

Transference

Redirecting feelings for significant others onto the therapist during psychoanalysis.

Resistance

Client’s unconscious blocking of painful thoughts during therapy.

Play Therapy

Child therapy using toys to help express emotions and resolve issues.

Nondirective Play Therapy

Child freely plays while therapist observes for insight.

Directive Play Therapy

Therapist guides play with questions or themes to target problems.

Behavior Therapy

Uses learning principles to change maladaptive behaviors.

Classical Conditioning

Learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a response.

Counterconditioning

Replacing an undesirable response with a new, incompatible one.

Aversive Conditioning

Pairing unwanted behavior with unpleasant stimulus to reduce behavior.

Exposure Therapy

Repeated, controlled exposure to feared object or situation to extinguish anxiety.

Systematic Desensitization

Gradual exposure paired with relaxation to eliminate fear response.

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

Computer simulation used when real exposure is impractical or unsafe.

Operant Conditioning

Learning where behavior is shaped by reinforcement or punishment.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Operant technique reinforcing desired behaviors; widely used with autism.

Token Economy

System giving tokens for desired behaviors exchangeable for rewards.

Cognitive Therapy

Aaron Beck’s approach targeting distorted thinking to reduce distress.

Cognitive Distortion

Irrational, biased thought pattern leading to negative emotions.

Overgeneralizing

Drawing broad negative conclusions from a single event.

Polarized (Black-and-White) Thinking

Viewing situations in all-or-nothing extremes.

Jumping to Conclusions

Assuming negative judgments without evidence.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Combines cognitive and behavioral techniques to change thoughts and actions.

ABC Model

CBT framework: Activating event, Belief, Consequence.

Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET)

Albert Ellis’s early CBT focusing on disputing irrational beliefs.

Humanistic Therapy

Focuses on self-growth, self-awareness, and conscious thoughts.

Client-Centered Therapy

Carl Rogers’s nondirective therapy emphasizing client self-direction.

Active Listening

Therapist technique of echoing and clarifying client statements.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Therapist’s total acceptance of client without judgment.

Psychotropic Medication

Drugs used to treat symptoms of psychological disorders.

Antipsychotics

Medications that reduce positive psychotic symptoms by blocking dopamine.

Atypical Antipsychotics

Drugs targeting dopamine and serotonin to lessen negative schizophrenia symptoms.

Antidepressants

Medications altering serotonin/norepinephrine to treat depression and anxiety.

Anti-Anxiety Agents

Central-nervous-system depressants used for anxiety, OCD, PTSD, panic disorder.

Mood Stabilizers

Drugs that control mania and depression in bipolar disorder.

Stimulants

Medications enhancing attention and focus, mainly for ADHD.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Induces seizures electrically to relieve severe depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Magnetic pulses stimulating brain cells to improve depression.

Intake

Initial session assessing client needs, goals, and logistics.

Confidentiality

Legal and ethical duty to keep client information private.

Individual Therapy

One-on-one sessions between client and therapist.

Group Therapy

Multiple clients meet together with therapist to address shared issues.

Psycho-Educational Group

Therapy group emphasizing teaching about a specific topic or condition.

Family Therapy

Treats family system to improve interactions and growth of all members.

Systems Approach

View that each family member influences and is influenced by others.

Structural Family Therapy

Examines family boundaries and organization to resolve issues.

Strategic Family Therapy

Brief, problem-focused intervention targeting specific family issues.

Couples Therapy

Counseling aimed at resolving relationship difficulties between partners.

Relapse

Return to substance use after a period of abstinence.

Comorbid Disorder

Co-occurrence of substance abuse with another psychological disorder.

MICA

Mentally Ill and Chemically Addicted; dual-diagnosis category.

Holistic Treatment

Approach addressing psychological, physical, social, and legal needs.

Cultural Competence

Therapist’s ability to work effectively across diverse cultures.

Multicultural Counseling and Therapy

Integrates cultural factors into goal setting, assessment, and treatment.

Treatment Barriers

Factors like cost, stigma, language, or transportation that hinder access to care.