Therapy

psychotherapy

treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth

eclectic approach

an approach to psychotherapy that uses techniques from various forms of therapy

around 1/3 of therapists report using this

insight-oriented vs. action-oriented

why vs. what to do about it

biomedical therapy

prescribed mediations or procedures that act directly on the person’s physiology

psychodynamic therapy

therapy based on the psychoanalytic tradition; explores unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self-insight

psychodynamic therapy difference from psychoanalysis

psychodynamic therapy helps with the current symptoms/relationships (vs. early childhood events/understanding the unconscious)

better interpersonal functioning → decreased symptoms

face-to-face therapy (vs. laying on couch)

less frequent sessions (1-2x//week vs. several times/week)

total time in therapy → weeks or months (vs. year(s))

goal of psychodynamic therapy

relief from symptoms

humanistic therapy

a mental health approach that emphasizes the importance of being your true self in order to lead the most fulfilling life

client-centered therapy

therapist uses active listening with a genuine, accepting, empathic environment to facilitate clients’ growth

Carl Rogers

developed client-centered therapy

unconditional positive regard

caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude that would help clients develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

where problems originate from according to humanistic therapy

it’s the result of feelings of alienation/loneliness → due to not achieving full potential

goal of humanistic therapy

understand and reflect back client’s experience allowing client to grow naturally (improve self-awareness); achieve congruence between ideal and actual self

behavior therapy

applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors

problem for behavior therapy

view the maladaptive behaviors as the problem versus unconscious feelings or lack of self-awareness

goal of behavior therapy

change the maladaptive behaviors to constructive ones

exposure therapy

behavioral techniques such as systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy that treat anxieties by exposing people to the thing they fear and avoid

systematic desensitization

associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli

cognitive therapy

teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions (action vs. insight)

cognitive reconstructing

questioning automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions that lead to negative emotions & to replace negative thinking with more positive and realistic beliefs

cognitive-behavioral therapy

popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing negative thought patterns) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)

most widely practiced theory

Schwartz et al.’s finding in their study on CBT and OCD

9 people with OCD were examined using PET scans before and after 10 weeks of CBT: (reframed urge to hand wash as due to “abnormal brain activity”; spent 15 minutes in enjoyable activity instead)

decreased activation in caudate nucleus follow CBT → normalized brain activity

how psychotherapies work (the 3 common ingredients)

hope

new perspective → new behaviors

caring relationship with therapist (empathic, communicate care and concern, trustworthy)

(therapeutic alliance)

therapeutic alliance

bond of trust and mutual understanding between a therapist and client, who work together constructively to overcome the client’s problem

antipsychotic drugs

used to treat schizophrenia and other forms of severe thought disorder

how antipsychotic drugs work:

helps my mimicking dopamine (blocks dopamine receptors) therefore reduces hallucinations and paranoia

side effects of antipsychotic drugs

sluggishness, tremors, twitches, and tar dive dyskinesia

anti-anxiety drugs

used to control anxiety and agitation

how anti-anxiety drugs work

helps by suppressing central nervous system functioning

increases effect of GABA (inhibitory effect) on cells

side effects of anti-anxiety drugs

addiction

antidepressant drugs

used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD

how antidepressant drugs work

helps by increasing norepinephrine and serotonin which leads to increased arousal and improved mood

side effects of antidepressant drugs

dry mouth, weight gain, hypertension, dizziness, decreased sexual desire

cases where drug therapies are best:

for cases of severe depression and when other routes have not been effective

when treatment other than drug therapy should be used:

for mild or moderate depression and anxiety - exercise, cognitive therapy/CBT, combination of therapy + medication)

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

biomedical therapy for severely depressed patients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient

3x/week for 2-4 weeks

80% of people see improvement

how Christians should view therapy

it’s not consistent with the Bible → God’s grace can come in many forms (medications, friends, therapists)

roles churches can play in helping people

social support network, Stephen ministers, pastoral counseling, accountability

from a Christian perspective, therapeutic interventions/therapy should:

provide empathy, caring concern, and unconditional acceptance — value as God’s child, unconditional acceptance from God (relational theme)

be present/future oriented — consider the future choices and prioritize things that will help change your current situation (responsible limited agency)

emphasize responsibility and accountability (responsible limited agency) — but recognize not all thoughts and behaviors are controllable; may not make the best choice ourselves (brokenness)

appreciate biological constraints and social context — innate temperaments/tendencies that make self-regulation difficult; tough social/environmental factors (embodied & responsible limited agency)

be action-oriented and less insight oriented — physical action; greater change (embodied)

work on establishing purpose and meaningful goals — what do we replace the symptoms with? (meaning seeking)