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Helping Relationship

The relationship between a client and the therapist that is essential for therapeutic success.

Maladaptive Behavior

Behavior that is counterproductive or ineffective in resolving problems, often stemming from self-defeating thoughts and feelings.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Therapy focused on internal conflicts and unconscious factors that influence behavior, largely influenced by Freud's theories.

Psychoanalysis

Freud's method of therapy aimed at helping clients gain insight into their unconscious processes.

Insight

Conscious awareness of the underlying psychodynamics of one's problems, leading to behavioral adjustment.

Free Association

A technique in psychoanalysis where clients speak freely about their thoughts and feelings to reveal unconscious material.

Transference

The projection of feelings and perceptions about significant people in the client's life onto the therapist.

Positive Transference

Feelings of affection and dependency projected by the client onto the therapist.

Negative Transference

Irrational expressions of anger or disappointment projected by the client onto the therapist.

Resistance

Defensive maneuvers by clients that hinder the therapeutic process, often indicating underlying conflict.

Interpersonal Therapy

A structured, brief therapy that focuses on current interpersonal issues and relationships.

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)

A therapeutic approach that combines cognitive and behavioral techniques to change maladaptive thoughts and behaviors.

Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET)

A cognitive therapy developed by Albert Ellis that focuses on identifying and changing irrational beliefs.

ABC Model

In RET, A (activating event) leads to B (belief) which leads to C (consequences); changing B can alter C.

Client-Centered Therapy

A humanistic therapy developed by Carl Rogers which emphasizes unconditional positive regard and empathy.

Gestalt Therapy

A humanistic approach that focuses on bringing awareness to feelings and experiences in the present moment.

Token Economy

A behavior modification technique where desired behaviors are reinforced with tokens that can be exchanged for rewards.

Aversion Therapy

A behavioral treatment that pairs an undesirable behavior with an aversive stimulus to condition an aversion to the behavior.

Systematic Desensitization

A classical conditioning treatment used to reduce anxiety, replacing the anxiety response with relaxation.

Mindfulness

A mental state focusing on present experiences with an accepting, nonjudgmental approach.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A treatment designed for borderline personality disorder that combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

A medical treatment for severe depression that involves inducing seizures through electrical currents to the brain.

Deinstitutionalization

The process of moving people with mental illnesses out of psychiatric hospitals and into community-based treatment.

Preventive Mental Health

Efforts aimed at preventing the development of psychological disorders through situational and competency-focused approaches.

Cultural Competence

The ability of therapists to understand and respond appropriately to clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Psychosurgery

A surgical procedure aimed at altering disordered behavior by removing or destroying brain tissue.