PSY130 – Chapter 14 Therapy: Coping with Life’s Changes

Question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts, therapies, practitioners, ethical principles, biomedical treatments, and effectiveness findings from Chapter 14.

What is the estimated worldwide annual economic cost of mental illness?

About $2.5 trillion.

Name the three major approaches to treating psychological disorders.

Psychological, Biomedical, and Sociocultural approaches.

Which approach to treatment includes psychodynamic, humanistic-oriented, and cognitive-behavioral therapies?

The Psychological approach.

What does the Biomedical approach primarily use to treat psychological disorders?

Medications and brain-intervention techniques such as ECT, TMS, and psychosurgery.

The Sociocultural approach to therapy focuses on changing what?

The client’s social environment through group, couples, family therapy, and community outreach.

Define a psychotherapist.

A trained and licensed professional who helps people with psychological concerns.

Which mental-health professionals are normally qualified to provide psychotherapy?

Clinical social workers, counseling psychologists, and clinical psychologists.

How do counseling psychologists differ from clinical psychologists?

Counseling psychologists work mainly with everyday problems; clinical psychologists focus on mental illness.

Who are the only mental-health practitioners that are medical doctors?

Psychiatrists.

Give two reliable ways to locate a psychotherapist.

(1) College counseling center; (2) referral from a medical provider or religious leader; (3) APA online locator.

List two points you should cover in your first psychotherapy session.

Why you sought therapy and what you hope to achieve (also current medications, background, etc.).

Which ethical principle requires therapists to benefit clients while avoiding harm?

Beneficence and nonmaleficence.

What ethical principle emphasizes honest and truthful communication?

Integrity.

What is the main goal of psychoanalysis?

To understand unconscious causes of the disorder.

Name a key technique used in psychoanalysis.

Free association (or dream analysis).

Which therapy focuses on current relationships rather than unconscious motives and is effective for depression?

Interpersonal therapy.

Humanistic therapy emphasizes the client’s capacity for what?

Self-realization and fulfillment.

What term describes the supportive, empathic relationship central to person-centered therapy?

Therapeutic alliance.

Which type of therapy applies learning principles to modify behavior?

Behavioral therapy.

Exposure therapy relies on which classical-conditioning principle?

Extinction.

What behavioral technique exposes a client to a feared stimulus all at once?

Flooding.

Define systematic desensitization.

Gradual exposure paired with relaxation across a fear hierarchy using counterconditioning.

Aversion therapy uses which operant-conditioning concept to reduce behavior?

Positive punishment.

What does cognitive therapy primarily help clients change?

Inaccurate or unhelpful patterns of thinking.

People with depression often make which kinds of attributions for negative events?

Internal, stable, and global attributions.

On what idea is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) based?

Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors reinforce each other, so changing thoughts or behaviors can improve emotions.

For which clients is CBT usually most appropriate?

Clients with specific, present-focused goals.

What is eclectic therapy?

Selecting whichever therapeutic techniques best fit the client and the issue.

Biomedical therapies aim to improve mental health by altering what?

Physiological functioning.

Give two common classes of medication used to treat psychological disorders.

Examples: antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, antianxiety drugs, psychostimulants.

What is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?

Passing electrical currents through the brain to trigger a brief seizure and relieve severe depression.

How frequently is ECT typically administered during a treatment course?

Two to three times per week for 6–12 sessions.

Which brain-stimulation technique uses a pulsing magnetic coil and usually causes no memory loss?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Psychosurgery is generally reserved for which conditions?

Severe major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder after other treatments fail.

Group therapy typically includes how many participants?

About 6–12 people.

Name one advantage of group therapy over individual therapy.

Lower cost, peer support, or a safe, supportive atmosphere.

How does a self-help group differ from a support group?

Self-help has no professional leader or fees; support groups have a professional facilitator.

What is the primary goal of community mental-health services?

Prevention of mental illness and promotion of mental health at the community level.

Which level of community prevention targets people who already show risk factors?

Secondary prevention.

In outcome research, what is the independent variable?

The type of treatment provided.

Name one challenge to the validity of outcome research in psychotherapy.

Natural improvement, nonspecific treatment effects, or placebo effects.

List one general feature shared by effective therapies.

They instill hope, foster self-understanding/relationship insight, or create a therapeutic alliance.

For depression, how does combined psychotherapy and medication compare to either alone?

The combination is more effective than medication or psychotherapy alone; psychotherapy outperforms medication long-term.

Why must psychiatric medications be carefully monitored?

Potential side effects, risk of addiction, and individual differences in drug response.

Why is evaluating social-community approaches particularly challenging?

They occur in varied community settings affecting many people, making outcome measures hard to define.