Ch. 15 Definitions - Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Psychotherapy

An interaction between a socially sanctioned clinician and someone suffering from a psychological problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem

Eclectic psychotherapy

A form of psychotherapy that involves drawing on techniques from different forms of therapy, depending on the client and the problem

Psychodynamic psychotherapies

Explore childhood events and encourage individuals to use the understanding gained from the exploration to develop insight into their psychological problems 

Interpersonal psychotherapy 

A form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping clients improve their current relationships 

Person-centered therapy

Assumes that all individuals have a tendency toward growth and that this growth can be facilitated by acceptance by and genuine reactions from a therapist 

Gestalt therapy

Has the goal of helping the client become aware of their thoughts, behaviors, experiences, and feelings and to “own” or take responsibility for them 

Behavior therapy

Assumes that disordered behavior is learned and that symptom relief is achieved through changing overt, maladaptive behaviors into more constructive behaviors

Token economy

Involves giving clients “tokens” for desired behaviors that they can later trade for rewards

Exposure therapy 

An approach to treatment of the client that involves confronting an emotion-arousing stimulus directly and repeatedlt, ultimately leading to a decrease in the emotional response 

Cognitive therapy 

Focuses on helping a client identify and correct any distorted thinking about self, others, or the world

Cognitive restructuring

Teaches clients to question the automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions, that often lead to negative emotions and to replace negative thinking with more realistic and positive beliefs 

Mindfulness meditation

Teaches an individual to be fully present in each moment; to be aware of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations; and to detect symptoms before they become a problem 

Cognitive behavioral therapy

A blend of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic strategies

Group therapy

A type of therapy in which multiple participants (who often do not know one another at the outset) work on their individual problems in a group atmosphere 

Antipsychotic drugs

Medications that are used to treat schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders 

Psychopharmacology 

The study of drug effects on psychological states and symptoms

Antianxiety medications 

Drugs that help reduce a person’s experience of fear and anxiety

Antidepressants

A class of drugs that help lift people’s moods

Phototherapy

A therapy that involves repeated exposure to bright light

Electroconvulsive therapy

A treatment that involves inducing a brief seizure by delivering an electrical shock to the brain 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

A treatment that involves placing a powerful pulsed magnet over a person’s scalp to alter neuronal activity in the brain 

Psychosurgery 

The surgical destruction of specifc brain areas

Placebo 

An inert substance or procedure that has been applied with the expectation that it will produce a healing response

Iatrogenic illness

A disorder or symptom that occurs as a result of a medical or psychotherapeutic treatment itself