PSYC 1F90 Textbook: Lecture 8 & 9

Psychotherapy

Any psychological technique used to facilitate positive changes in a person’s personality, behaviour, or adjustment.

Behavior Therapy

Any therapy designed to actively change behaviour.

Behavior Modification

The application of learning principles to change human behaviour, especially maladaptive behaviour.

Aversion Therapy

Treatment to reduce unwanted behaviour by pairing it with an unpleasant stimulus.

Exposure Therapy

Alleviating fears and phobias (conditioned emotional response) by using classical conditioning extinction.

Flooding

A form of exposure therapy in which clients are exposed to the object of their fear beginning with examples that provoke the most extreme responses.

Systematic Desensitization

A reduction in fear, anxiety, or aversion brought about by planned exposure to aversive stimuli.

Modeling

A form of exposure therapy in which clients observe models displaying adaptive behaviour toward their feared object.

Intensive Behavioral Intervention

Operant principles—specifically positive reinforcements and shaping—used by therapists who use intensive behavioural intervention.

Token Economies

Behaviour modification in which desired behaviour earns objects that can be exchanged for positive reinforcers.

Pharmacotherapy

The use of drugs to treat psychopathology.

Side Effects

Erectile dysfunction and loss of sexual desire, fatal blood disease.

Different Effects

Trial- and-error processes.

Not Cure-Alls

Need combination with therapy and medication.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Treatment for severe depression in which electrical current is applied to the brain, causing a seizure.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

Electrical stimulation of precisely targeted brain regions; a surgical procedure is necessary to implant electrodes in the brain that allow for the stimulation.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

A device that uses magnetic pulses to temporarily block activity in specific parts of the brain.

Lobotomy

The frontal lobes are surgically disconnected from other brain areas.

Deep Lesioning

Small target areas are destroyed in the brain’s interior.

Psychiatric Hospitalization

Placing a person in a protected therapeutic environment staffed by mental health professionals.

Partial Hospitalization

Spend their days in the hospital and go home at night; others attend therapy sessions at the hospital during the evening.

Deinstitutionalization

The reduced use of full-time commitment to mental institutions to treat mental disorder.

Halfway House

A community-based facility for individuals making the transition from an institution (mental hospital, prison, and so forth) to independent living.

Community Mental Health Programs

A facility offering a wide range of mental health services, such as prevention, counselling, consultation, and crisis intervention.

Active Listener

Make sincere effort to listen to and understand the person.

Reflect Thoughts and Feelings

Give feedback by restating what is said; try and help someone’s feelings.

Don’t be Afraid of Silence

Listening patiently lets the person feel unhurried and encourages them to speak freely.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Encourage free expression—don’t encourage yes or no answers.

Clarify Problems

People who have a clear idea of what is wrong in their lives are more likely to discover solutions—try and understand the problem from the person's point of view.

Focus on Feelings

Encourage the outpouring of emotion that is the basis for catharsis.

Avoid Giving Advice

You do not need to solve problems for others; provide understanding and support.

Accept the Person’s Frame of Reference

There is no “correct” view of a life situation. Try to resist imposing your views.

Maintain Confidentiality

Respect the privacy of someone who has confided in you.

Therapeutic Options

Look at your different opinions for types of counselling.

Look at Qualifications

Ask about their clarifications.

Evaluating a Therapist

A therapist that works with you.