Week 2: Intro to Psychotherapy

Lightner Witmer ( $1867-1956$ ) is considered the Father of Clinical Psychology; he founded the first clinic in $1896$ and coined the term in $1907$ .
Witmer’s systematic theory of therapy involves identifying the problem via testing, diagnosing, recommending treatment, and measuring outcomes.
Clinical Psychology integrates scientific research, theory, and knowledge to understand and alleviate psychological distress.

Psychodynamic Model: Focuses on unconscious processes, internal conflicts, and defense mechanisms (e.g., repression, denial). It emphasizes the impact of early childhood experiences and utilizes techniques like transference analysis and free association.
Biological Model: Attributes mental disorders to physical causes such as neurochemical imbalances, genetics, or brain structure. Interventions include medication ( $mood stabilisers$ , $anxiolytics$ ) and lifestyle changes.
Biopsychosocial Model: views health as an interplay between biological (genetics), psychological (emotions, thoughts), and social (culture, relationships) factors. This aligns with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) Framework.
Behavioural Model: Uses conditioning to modify observable behaviors.
- Classical Conditioning: (Pavlov) Pairing an Unconditioned Stimulus (US) with a Conditioned Stimulus (CS).
- Operant Conditioning: (Skinner) Behavior is shaped by reinforcement or punishment.
- SORCK Analysis: A framework for behavioral analysis involving Stimuli ( $S$ ), Organism ( $O$ ), Response ( $R$ ), Consequences ( $C$ ), and Contingencies ( $K$ ).
Cognitive-Behavioural Model (CBT): Focuses on how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. It uses the ABC Model:
- $A$ : Activating event
- $B$ : Beliefs or thoughts
- $C$ : Consequences (emotional or behavioral)

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD):
- Requires at least five symptoms (including persistent low mood or anhedonia) present for at least two weeks.
- Lifetime prevalence ranges from 7\text{%} to 20\text{%}.
- Spontaneous recovery occurs in approximately $4/5$ people within $12$ months.
Anxiety Disorders: Includes Specific Phobias (10\text{%} of population), Social Phobia (2-5\text{%}), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) (3-4\text{%}), and Panic Disorder.
Aetiology (Diathesis-Stress Model): Proposes that disorders develop from a combination of biological vulnerability (diathesis) and environmental stress.

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs): The "gold standard" for evidence, requiring random assignment, specified criteria, and systematic outcome assessment.
Meta-Analyses: Large-scale reviews that synthesize data from multiple studies to determine the overall evidence base for an intervention.
Key Study: Haslam & Cruwys ( $2019$ ) evaluated the Groups 4 Health program, finding it significantly reduced loneliness and social anxiety compared to treatment as usual.
CBT Efficacy: A meta-analysis of $115$ studies confirmed CBT is highly effective for adult depression, with a mean effect size of $Hedges\,g = 0.71$ .