Chapter 16 - Keywords

psychotherapy

is an interaction between a socially sanctioned clinician and someone suffering from a psychological problem, with the goal of providing support or relief from the problem

eclectic psychotherapy

a form of psychotherapy that involves drawing on techniques from different forms of therapy, depending on the client and the problem

psychodynamic psychotherapies

explore childhood events and encourage individuals to use the understanding gained from the exploration to develop insight into their psychological problems

interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

a form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping clients improve current relationships

person-centered therapy (or client-centered therapy)

assumes that all individuals have a tendency toward growth and that this growth can be facilitated by acceptance by and genuine reactions from the therapist

gestalt therapy

has the goal of helping the client become aware of their thoughts, behaviors, experiences, and feelings and to “own” or take responsibility for them

behavior therapy

disordered behavior is learned and that symptom relief is achieved through changing overt, maladaptive behaviors into more constructive behaviors

token economy

involves giving clients “tokens” for desired behaviors that they can later trade for rewards

exposure therapy

an approach to treatment of the client that involves confronting an emotion-arousing stimulus directly and repeatedly, ultimately leading to a decrease in the emotional response

cognitive therapy

focuses on helping a client identify and correct any distorted thinking about self, others, or the world

cognitive restructuring

teaches clients to question the automatic beliefs, assumptions, and predictions that often lead to negative emotions and to replace negative thinking with more realistic and positive beliefs.

mindfulness meditation

teaches an individual to be fully present in each moment; to be aware of their thoughts, feelings, and sensations; and to detect symptoms before they become a problem

cognitive behavioral therapy

a blend of cognitive and behavioral therapeutic strategies

group therapy

a type of therapy in which multiple participants (who often do not know one another at the outset) work on their individual problems in a group atmosphere

antipsychotic drugs

treat schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders

psychopharmacology

the study of drug effects on psychological states and symptoms

anti-anxiety medications

drugs that help reduce a person’s experience of fear or anxiety

antidepressants

a class of drugs that help lift people’s moods

phototherapy

a therapy that involves repeated exposure to bright light

electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

a treatment that involves inducing a brief seizure by delivering an electrical shock to the brain

transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

a treatment that involves placing a powerful pulsed magnet over a person’s scalp to alter neuronal activity in the brain

psychosurgery

the surgical destruction of specific brain areas

placebo

an inert substance or procedure that has been applied with the expectation that it will produce a healing response

iatrogenic illness

a disorder or symptom that occurs as a result of a medical or psychotherapeutic treatment itself