Therapy Techniques and Approaches

A collection of flashcards created to reinforce key terms and concepts in various therapy approaches and techniques.

Humanistic Therapy

A therapeutic approach that focuses on individual potential and stresses the importance of growth and self-actualization.

Client-Centered Therapy

A humanistic approach that emphasizes the therapist's support, empathy, and acceptance to help the client confront their own issues.

Self-Actualization

The realization or fulfillment of one's talents and potential, considered as a drive or need present in everyone.

Cognitive Therapy

A psychological treatment that focuses on changing unhelpful cognitive distortions and behaviors, aiming to improve emotional regulation.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A combination of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic techniques used to change thought patterns and behaviors associated with psychological issues.

Operant Conditioning Therapy

A behavior modification technique that employs rewards and punishments for behavior modification.

Exposure Therapy

A psychological treatment that helps individuals confront their fears directly and reduce anxiety.

Systematic Desensitization

A behavioral therapy technique used to gradually expose a person to anxiety-provoking stimuli while teaching relaxation techniques.

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

A cognitive-behavioral therapy developed by Albert Ellis that focuses on changing irrational beliefs that lead to emotional distress.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A medical treatment for severe depression that involves delivering electrical currents to the brain to induce a seizure.

Psychosurgery

Surgical intervention in the brain intended to treat mental disorders; often considered a last resort.

Antidepressants

Medications prescribed to alleviate symptoms of depression by altering neurotransmitter levels.

Token Economy

A behavioral therapy system where individuals earn tokens for desired behaviors, which can be exchanged for rewards.

Aversion Therapy

A behavioral therapy technique where an undesirable behavior is paired with an unpleasant stimulus.

Participatory Modeling

A learning process where individuals learn behaviors by observing others, used in therapy to address fears.

Free Association

A psychoanalytic technique where a patient speaks freely to reveal unconscious thoughts and emotions.

Transference

A phenomenon in therapy where patients project feelings associated with significant others onto their therapist.

Resistance

The phenomenon of mental blocks or interruptions in therapy that signal areas of difficulty.

Self-Esteem

An individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth.

Deinstitutionalization

the process of reducing the number of individuals who are confined to long-term mental health facilities, shifting the focus towards community-based care and treatment.

Nonmaleinference

the assumption that an individual's gender does not predict their personalities, preferences, or behaviors

Fidelity

the quality of being faithful and loyal in relationships, particularly in the context of therapy, where it emphasizes the importance of maintaining trust and commitment to the therapeutic relationship.

Integrity

the consistency of a person’s actions, values, methods, measures, and principles. It involves adhering to ethical standards and honesty in interactions with others, contributing to overall psychological well-being and trustworthiness.

Counterconditioning

a behavioral therapy technique used in psychology to replace an undesirable response to a stimulus with a desirable one by associating the stimulus with positive experiences. It is often used to treat phobias and anxiety disorders.

Aaron Beck therapy for depression

commonly known as Cognitive Therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on identifying and altering negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to depressive symptoms. The approach emphasizes the importance of understanding how thoughts influence feelings and behaviors, helping individuals develop healthier thinking patterns and coping strategies.

Tardative Dyskinesia

A neurological condition that can occur as a side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs, characterized by involuntary, repetitive body movements. Thorine and antipsycotic drugs cause this.

Xanax

A medication used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, belonging to the benzodiazepine class.

Thorazine

an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and the manic phase of bipolar disorder. It works by affecting the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. dampened responsiveness to irrelevant stimuli. Leads to tardative dyskinesia

Ativan

A medication used to treat anxiety disorders and to provide sedation before medical procedures; it is a benzodiazepine that works by enhancing the effects of a neurotransmitter in the brain.

Haldol

An antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, acute psychosis, and agitation

Prozac

An antidepressant medication that is used to treat major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia nervosa, and panic disorder; it works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain.It belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Paxil

An antidepressant medication that is used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder; it works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain.

Zoloft

An antidepressant medication that is used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder; it works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain.

Lithium

medication primarily used to treat bipolar disorder. It helps to stabilize mood by affecting the flow of sodium through the nerves and muscles, which plays a role in mood regulation.

Depakote

A medication used primarily to treat seizures, bipolar disorder, and to prevent migraines; it works by stabilizing electrical activity in the brain. An anticonvulsant that helps control manic episodes and is associated with mood stabilization.

Contingency Management

change the behavior by modifying consequences.