Psychological Treatment and Therapies

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to various psychological treatments and therapies.

What is an asylum?

An institution created for the specific purpose of housing people with psychological disorders.

What does aversive conditioning refer to?

A counterconditioning technique that pairs an unpleasant stimulant with an undesirable behavior.

What is behavior therapy?

A therapeutic orientation that employs principles of learning to help clients change undesirable behaviors.

What is biomedical therapy?

Treatment that involves medication and/or medical procedures to treat psychological disorders.

What does cognitive therapy focus on?

How a person’s thoughts lead to feelings of distress, aiming to help them change these irrational thoughts.

What is cognitive-behavioral therapy?

A form of psychotherapy that aims to change cognitive distortions and self-defeating behaviors.

What is a comorbid disorder?

An individual who has two or more diagnoses, often including a substance abuse diagnosis.

What does confidentiality in therapy mean?

The therapist cannot disclose confidential communications to any third party unless mandated or permitted by law.

What is counterconditioning?

A classical conditioning therapeutic technique where a client learns a new response to a stimulus that has previously elicited an undesirable behavior.

What is the purpose of couples therapy?

To help two people in an intimate relationship resolve their difficulties.

What is cultural competence in therapy?

The therapist’s understanding and attention to issues of race, culture, and ethnicity in providing treatment.

What does deinstitutionalization refer to?

The process of closing large asylums and integrating people back into the community for local treatment.

What is dream analysis?

A technique in psychoanalysis where patients recall their dreams and a psychoanalyst interprets them to reveal unconscious desires or struggles.

What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

A type of biomedical therapy involving electrical currents to induce seizures to alleviate severe depression.

What is exposure therapy?

A counterconditioning technique where a therapist treats a client’s fear or anxiety by presenting the feared object or situation.

What is family therapy?

A special form of group therapy consisting of one or more families.

What is free association in psychoanalysis?

A technique where the patient says whatever comes to mind at the moment.

What is group therapy?

A treatment modality where 5-10 people with the same issue meet together with a trained clinician.

What does humanistic therapy aim to achieve?

To help people become more self-aware and accepting of themselves.

What is individual therapy?

A treatment modality where the client and clinician meet one-on-one.

What is involuntary treatment?

Therapy that is mandated by courts or other systems.

What is nondirective therapy?

A therapeutic approach where the therapist helps the person identify conflicts without giving advice.

What is play therapy?

A therapeutic process used with children that employs toys to help them resolve psychological problems.

What is psychoanalysis?

A therapeutic orientation developed by Sigmund Freud, using free association and dream analysis to uncover repressed feelings.

What is psychotherapy?

A psychological treatment that employs various methods to help someone overcome personal problems.

What is rational emotive therapy (RET)?

A form of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

What is relapse in the context of substance abuse?

Repeated drug or alcohol use after a period of improvement.

What is Rogerian (client-centered therapy)?

A non-directive form of humanistic psychotherapy emphasizing unconditional positive regard.

What happens in strategic family therapy?

The therapist guides therapy sessions and develops treatment plans for specific family problems.

What does structural family therapy examine?

The boundaries and structure of the family, including decision-making and rules.

What is systematic desensitization?

Exposure therapy for phobias and anxiety by gradually exposing a person to the feared object through a stimulus hierarchy.

What is a token economy?

A controlled setting where individuals are reinforced for desirable behaviors with tokens that can be exchanged for items.

What is transference in psychoanalysis?

The process in which the patient transfers emotions from other relationships onto the psychoanalyst.

What does unconditional positive regard mean?

Fundamental acceptance of a person regardless of their actions, associated with humanistic psychology.

What is virtual reality exposure therapy?

Uses a simulation rather than the actual feared object to help people conquer their fears.

What is voluntary treatment?

Therapy that a person chooses to attend to obtain relief from symptoms.