Psychological Treatments Flashcards

Flashcards based on lecture notes about Psychological Treatments

Psychotherapy

Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them understand their problems and work toward solutions.

The Wounded Healer Phenomenon

The idea that a therapist's own experiences with psychological pain can give them a greater capacity to heal others.

Friendship Bench Project

A mental health project in Harare, Zimbabwe, using grandmothers as paraprofessionals to provide therapy.

Ethical Standards of Psychotherapy

Guidelines that therapists must follow, including considering client goals, alternative treatments, qualifications, effectiveness evaluation, confidentiality, avoiding exploitation, and treating with dignity and understanding diversity.

Duty to Warn

The legal obligation of a therapist to notify the authorities or intended victim if a client poses a threat to harm themselves or others (Tarasoff case).

Psychodynamic Therapy

A type of therapy that aims to help clients become aware of unconscious conflicts and defense mechanisms.

Humanistic Therapy

A type of therapy that aims to help clients fulfill their potential for personal growth.

Behavior Therapy

A type of therapy that helps clients replace harmful behaviors with beneficial ones.

Cognitive Therapy

A type of therapy that helps clients eliminate distorted thoughts and replace them with more realistic ones.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

A type of therapy that helps clients change both distorted thoughts and maladaptive behavior.

Group Therapy

A form of therapy that provides support while also improving social skills cost-effectively.

Family Therapy

A form of therapy that aims to heal family relationships.

Psychoanalysis

The first form of therapy, which is the most expensive and lengthy, focusing on insight, transference, the unconscious, dream analysis, and free association.

Insight (Psychoanalysis)

The understanding of unconscious conflicts and motivations.

Transference (Psychoanalysis)

The process where a patient transfers feelings about other individuals onto the therapist.

Dream Analysis (Psychoanalysis)

A therapeutic technique used to interpret patients dreams.

Free Association (Psychoanalysis)

A technique used to encourage patients to speak without censorship.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy

A neo-Freudian psychotherapy that focuses on the 'here and now' and is brief in duration.

Behavior Therapy

Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them unlearn behaviors that negatively affect their functioning.

Token Economies

A system of behavior modification based on the systematic reinforcement of target behaviors.

Social Skills Training

The act of improving ones social skills with methods such as shaping, positive reinforcement, and role playing

Behavioral Activation

A therapeutic technique where a therapist helps the client begin activities that have naturally 'anti-depressant' qualities.

Exposure Therapies

Therapies that include approaches like systematic desensitization and flooding to treat fears directly.

Systematic Desensitization

Gradual exposure to feared stimuli while practicing relaxation techniques.

Flooding

Intense exposure to a feared stimulus to reduce anxiety.

Cognitive Therapies

Rational-emotive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

A cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that helps clients challenge irrational assumptions.

Humanistic Therapy

Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients to help them develop their full potential for personal growth through greater insight.

Client-Centered Therapy

A humanistic therapy that includes a safe and comforting setting for clients, active listening, and unconditional positive regard.

Active Listening

Paying close attention to what a client is saying and reflect their feelings.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting and respecting a client regardless of their behavior or beliefs.

Integrative Therapy (Eclectic Therapy)

Therapy that draws from many psychotherapeutic theories and techniques.

Group Therapy

A form of therapy to obtain things such as encouragement, realizing you're not alone, advice, and new interactions.

Family Therapy

A therapy based on the idea that an individual is part of a larger context.

Systems Approach (Family Therapy)

The idea that any change in individual behavior will affect the whole system.

Couple Therapy

A form of psychotherapy involving a couple, used to treat relationship distress or to address the mental health problems of a specific member of the couple.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A treatment for psychological disorders that involves administering a strong electrical current to the client’s brain to produce a seizure; it is effective in some cases of severe depression.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

A treatment for psychological disorders that uses a magnetic field to interrupt function in specific regions of the brain.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

A treatment for psychological disorders that involves passing electricity through electrodes planted in the client’s brain to stimulate the brain at a certain frequency and intensity.

Antianxiety Drugs

Medications like Valium, Xanax, Ativan, and Buspar.

MAO Inhibitors

A type of antidepressant drug. They work by inhibiting the action of monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, thereby increasing their availability in the brain.

Tricyclic Antidepressants

A type of antidepressant drug. They work by increasing levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, such as serotonin and norepinephrine.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

A type of antidepressant drug. They work by selectively inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin in the brain, increasing its availability and improving mood.

Third-Generation Antidepressants

A type of antidepressant drug. They target specific neurotransmitter systems, aiming for fewer side effects and improved efficacy compared to earlier generations.

Effectiveness of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is more effective than no treatment at all. Research shows that it can lead to significant improvements in mental health, particularly for various psychological disorders.

Therapeutic Alliance

A common factor in successful psychotherapy, referring to the relationship between the therapist and client.

Therapist Allegiance

The extent to which a therapist believes in the treatment being given.

Therapist Competence

A therapists capabilities to provide their given treatment.

Evidence-Based Psychotherapies

Treatments that have been scientifically proven to be effective.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A form of therapy, used to treat borderline personality disorder, that combines behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and a mindfulness approach.

ADHD in Children and Adolescents

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Methylphenidate (Ritalin)

Medication used for the treatment of ADHD. It works by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain, helping improve focus and reduce impulsivity.

Adderall

Medication used for the treatment of ADHD. It combines amphetamine salts that help increase attention and decrease impulsiveness and hyperactivity.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Is caused by brain dysfunction.

MAO inhibitors

An antidepressant that inhibits the breakdown of monoamine neurotransmitters.

Tricyclic antidepressants

An antidepressant that increases the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin.

Psychotherapy

Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist works with clients

Behavior Therapy

Treatment for psychological disorders in which a therapist helps clients unlearn behaviors that negatively affect their functioning

Group therapy

Benefits that cannot be obtained by individual therapy

Family therapy

According to a systems approach, an individual is part of a larger context

Couple therapy

Form of psychotherapy involving a couple

Electroconvulsive therapy

Treatment for psychological disorders that involves administering a strong electrical current to the client’s brain to produce a seizure

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Treatment for psychological disorders that uses a magnetic field to interrupt function in specific regions of the brain

Deep brain stimulation

Treatment for psychological disorders that involves passing electricity through electrodes planted in the client’s brain to stimulate the brain at a certain frequency and intensity.

Psychopharmacology

The study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior