General Psychology - Therapy and Treatment

Asylums

institutions created for the specific purpose of housing people with psychological disorders, with the focus on ostracizing them from society rather than treating their disorders

Deinstitutionalization

the closing of large asylums, by providing for people to stay in their communities and be treated locally.

Involuntary Treatment

therapy that is not the individual’s choice

Voluntary Treatment

the person chooses to attend therapy to obtain relief from symptoms.

Psychotherapy

psychological treatment that employs various methods to help someone overcome personal problems, or attain personal growth

biomedical therapy

medication and/or medical procedures to treat psychological disorders

psychoanalysis

developed by Sigmund Freud and was the first form of psychotherapy. It was the dominant therapeutic technique in the early 20th century, but it has since waned significantly in popularity.

free association

the patient relaxes and then says whatever comes to mind at the moment

dream analysis

a therapist interprets the underlying meaning of dreams.

transference

the patient transfers all the positive or negative emotions associated with the patient’s other relationships to the psychoanalyst

Play Therapy

Often used with children since they are not likely to sit on a couch and recall their dreams or engage in traditional talk therapy. This technique uses a therapeutic process of play to “help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth”

cognitive therapy

form of psychotherapy that focuses on how a person’s thoughts lead to feelings of distress.

cognitive-behavioral therapy

helps clients examine how their thoughts affect their behavior. It aims to change cognitive distortions and self-defeating behaviors.

ABC Model

• Action (sometimes called an activating event), the

• Belief about the event, and the

• Consequences of this belief.

overgeneralization

someone takes a small situation and makes it huge

all-or-nothing thinking

a common type of cognitive distortion for people suffering from depression and reflect extremes. In other words, everything is black or white.

jumping to conclusions

assuming that people are thinking negatively about you or reacting negatively to you, even though there is no evidence.

behavior therapy

a therapist employs principles of learning to help clients change undesirable behaviors—rather than digging deeply into one’s unconscious

Classical Conditioning Therapies

A type of therapy that utilizes classical conditioning techniques. Therapists using these techniques believe that dysfunctional behaviors are conditioned responses.

counterconditioning

when a client learns a new response to a stimulus that has previously elicited an undesirable behavior.

aversive conditioning

A type of conditioning that uses an unpleasant stimulus to stop an undesirable behavior. Therapists apply this technique to eliminate addictive behaviors, such as smoking, nail-biting, and drinking.

exposure therapy

a therapist seeks to treat clients’ fears or anxiety by presenting them with the object or situation that causes their problem, with the idea that they will eventually get used to it

systematic desensitization

a calm and pleasant state is gradually associated with increasing levels of anxiety-inducing stimuli. The idea is that you can’t be nervous and relaxed at the same time

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

a therapist, along with the caregivers, determines what reinforces the child, what sustains a behavior to continue, and how best to manage a behavior

token economy

a controlled setting where individuals are reinforced for desirable behaviors with tokens, such as a poker chip, that can be exchanged for items or privileges.

Humanistic Therapy

helping people achieve their potential.

nondirective therapy

a therapeutic approach in which the therapist does not give advice or provide interpretations but helps the person to identify conflicts and understand feelings

unconditional positive regard

which involves not judging clients and simply accepting them for who they are

mindfulness

a process that tries to cultivate a nonjudgmental, yet attentive, mental state. It is a therapy that focuses on one’s awareness of bodily sensations, thoughts, and the outside environment

components of mindfulness

self-regulation of attention, and orientation toward the present moment

eclectic psychotherapy.

incorporating techniques from multiple approaches

cognitive bias modification

patients are given exercises, often through the use of video games, aimed at changing their problematic thought processes

biomedical therapy

interventions that involve the treatment of mental disorders with medical techniques.

Psychopharmacology

treating mental disorders with medication.

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

using an electrical current to induce seizures to help alleviate the effects of severe depression.

reconsolidation

memories become open to changes for a brief period of time when they are retrieved. For a few hours, the changed memories can be disrupted, but once they have__________they become a new version of the memory.

Results of Reconsolidation Experiment

a learned fear response can either stay strong across several days or it can be eliminated if new learning takes place under just the right conditions (i.e., while the fear memory is still active).

intake

the therapist’s first meeting with the client. The therapist gathers specific information to address the client’s immediate needs, such as the presenting problem, the client’s support system, and insurance status.

Confidentiality

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

individual therapy

the client and clinician meet one-on-one (usually from 45 minutes to 1 hour). These meetings typically occur weekly or every other week, and sessions are conducted in a confidential and caring environment

group therapy

a clinician meets together with several clients with similar problems.

couples therapy

two people in an intimate relationship who are having difficulties and are trying to resolve them. The primary therapeutic orientation used in couples counseling is cognitive-behavioral therapy

family therapy

a special form of group therapy, consisting of one or more families. The goal of this approach is to enhance the growth of each family member as well as that of the family as a whole.

strategic family therapy

the goal is to address specific problems within the family that can be dealt with in a relatively short amount of time

sociocultural perspective

looks at you, your behaviors, and your symptoms in the context of your culture and background.

cultural competence

one’s ability to understand and address issues of race, culture, and ethnicity.