Chapter 15: Therapy

Psychotherapy

Treatment involving psychological techniques; consists of interactions between a trained therapist and someone seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth (research shows that it is only somewhat effective, although clients’ testimonials are very positive)

Psychoanalytic Therapy

A form of psychotherapy that focuses on exploring deeper meanings behind a person’s words, behaviors, and meanings (commonly used for a wide range of disorders, including depression, anxiety, personality disorders); however, information may be blocked or inaccessible & therapists have different interpretations

Psychoanalysis (Freud)

A therapeutic approach that focuses on releasing the client’s previously repressed feelings through free association, resistance, dream analysis, and transference (and the therapist’s interpretations of the manifest & latent content) to gain self-insight

Interpretation

In psychoanalysis, the therapist’s analysis and explanation of the client’s supposed dream meanings, resistances, and other significant behaviors and events in order to promote insight

Resistance

In psychoanalysis, the unconscious defense mechanisms used by the client to avoid anxious thoughts by blocking them from consciousness

Transference

In psychoanalysis, a client’s redirection of feelings and attitudes from one relationship (such as love/hatred for a parent) onto the therapist

Psychodynamic Therapy

A form of psychotherapy deriving from the psychoanalytic principle that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and seeks to enhance self insight

Humanistic Therapy

A form of psychotherapy that focuses on an individual as a whole (thoughts, feelings, behaviors, experiences), emphasizing their capacity for self-awareness and self-growth by implementing self-actualization, empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard (commonly used for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia)

Insight Therapy

A therapy which aims to improve psychological functioning by increasing the client’s awareness of underlying motives and defenses

People/Client-Centered Therapy (Carl Rogers)

A humanistic therapy in which the therapist uses techniques (such as active listening) while echoing and restating the client’s thoughts within an empathetic environment (using unconditional positive regard) to facilitate the client’s growth

Active Listening (Carl Rogers)

In client-centered therapy, empathic listening in which the listener echoes, restates, and clarifies

Unconditional Positive Regard (Carl Rogers)

A caring, accepting attitude with complete acceptance and support without judgment or evaluation, which is believed to encourage the development of self-awareness and self-acceptance

Behavior Therapy

A form of psychotherapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors to help clients unlearn unhealthy behaviors, develop new skills, and improve overall functioning (commonly used for specific problems, including PTSD, anxiety, phobias, OCD, substance use, bad habits)

Counterconditioning

A behavior therapy procedure that uses classical conditioning to evoke new responses to stimuli that are triggering unwanted behaviors

Exposure Therapy

A type of counterconditioning that gradually exposes the individual (in imagination or actuality) to the feared object/situation in a safe and controlled environment

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET)

A form of exposure therapy that progressively simulates exposure to feared situations/stimuli in a virtual environment (such as airplane flying, spiders, public speaking)

Systematic Desensitization

A form of exposure therapy that gradually exposes the individual to the feared situations/stimuli while pairing it with relaxation techniques (commonly used to treat phobias)

Aversive Conditioning

A type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)

Token Economy

An operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treat

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

A form of psychotherapy that involves guided recall of distressing memories while focusing on stimulation, such as eye movements, taps, and sounds (commonly used to treat PTSD)

Cognitive Therapy

A form of psychotherapy based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions; teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting (commonly used for treating depressed emotions, including depression, anxiety, phobias, PTSD)

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Aaron Beck)

A popular integrated form of psychotherapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior), based on the idea that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected (commonly used for most disorders, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD)

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (Albert Ellis)

A form of cognitive-behavioral therapy focusing on changing irrational thoughts that lead to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors

Group Therapy

Forms of psychotherapy that involve treating multiple individuals simultaneously by exploring thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to improve communication and receive support

Family Therapy

A form of psychotherapy that treats the family as a system and views an individual’s unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members

Psychopharmacology

The study of how drugs affect the brain and behavior, which involves the use of medications to treat mental health disorders

Antipsychotic Drugs

Medications used to treat severe thought disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain

Tardive Dyskinesia

Involuntary movement of the facial muscles, tongue, and limbs; a possible neurotoxic side effect of long-term use of antipsychotic drugs that target certain dopamine receptors

Antianxiety Drugs

Medications used to control anxiety and agitation by targeting neurotransmitters to promote relaxation

Antidepressants

Medications used to treat depression by balancing the levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine; also increasingly prescribed for anxiety

Lithium

Medication used to treat bipolar disorder by stabilizing mood swings and reducing the severity of manic episodes (works in about 7 out of 10 clients)

Biomedical Therapy

A form of psychotherapy that involves prescribed medications or medical procedures that act directly on the patient’s nervous system

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A biomedical therapy for severely depressed clients in which a brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized client

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)

The application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain, used to stimulate or suppress brain energy

Regression Toward the Mean

The tendency for unusual emotions to return toward their average state

Meta-Analysis

A procedure for statistically combining the results of many different research studies

Evidence-Based Practice

Clinical decision-making that integrates the best available research with clinical expertise and patient characteristics and preferences

Psychosurgery

Surgery that removes or destroys brain tissue in an effort to change behavior

Lobotomy

A now-rare psychosurgical procedure once used to calm uncontrollably emotional or violent patients; cuts the nerves connecting the frontal lobes to the emotion-controlling centers of the inner brain

Psychiatrist

A medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health disorders by assessing the physical and psychological aspects; prescribe medication and provide psychotherapy (the main mental health providers before 1950)

Clinical Psychologists

A mental health professional (typically with a Ph.D or Psy.D) who specializes in research, assessment, and therapy, supplemented by a supervised internship and post-doctoral training; provide psychotherapy and psychological assessments

Counselor

A mental health professional who provides counseling, guidance, and support to individuals, couples, families, or groups experiencing various challenges in their lives; provide supportive therapy

Clinical Social Worker

A licensed mental health professional who specializes in providing psychotherapy and support services to individuals, families, and communities

Preventive Mental Health

Efforts to reduce the risk of mental health problems and promote psychological well-being before they occur, including education, skill-building, screening, creating supportive environments, and policy interventions; emphasizes the social context of psychological disorders

Stress Inoculation Training

A form of cognitive-behavior therapy in which people are trained to restructure their thinking in stressful situations