Therapies

Biomedical Therapy

Drugs and other physical interventions targeting the biological processes underlying psychological disorders; primary goal is to reduce symptoms.

Psychotherapy

A treatment approach wherein a client works with a mental health professional to reduce psychological symptoms and improve quality of life.

Insight Therapies

Psychotherapies aimed at increasing awareness of self and environment.

Behavior Therapy

A type of therapy that focuses on behavioral change, often based on learning theories such as classical and operant conditioning.

Cognitive Therapy

A type of therapy aimed at addressing maladaptive thinking that leads to maladaptive behaviors and feelings.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

A type of cognitive therapy that identifies illogical thoughts and attempts to convert them into rational ones.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

An action-oriented type of therapy that requires clients to confront and resist their illogical thinking.

Empathy

The ability to feel what a client is experiencing; seeing the world through the client’s eyes.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Total acceptance of a client no matter how distasteful the client’s behaviors, beliefs, and words may be.

Active Listening

Picking up on the content and emotions behind words in order to understand a client’s point of view.

Dodo Hypothesis

The notion that all therapeutic approaches perform equally well across all disorders.

Cognitive Distortion

A pattern of thought that contributes to negative feelings and behaviors, often resulting in misinterpretation of reality.

Overgeneralizing

Belief that something may always occur because it has occurred before.

Selective Abstraction

Ignoring information and assuming something has happened based on details taken out of context.

Personalizing

Taking other people’s behaviors too personally, leading to self-blame.

Systematic Desensitization

A behavioral therapy technique used to help clients gradually overcome their fear of specific stimuli.

Token Economies

A behavior modification technique that rewards desired behaviors with tokens that can be exchanged for privileges.

Clinical Expertise

The knowledge and skills a mental health professional develops through their education and practice.

Evidence-based Practices

Treatment decisions that integrate research findings with clinical expertise and knowledge of a patient’s culture, values, and preferences.