Introduction to Therapy

• Exploring psychological disorders and treatments.

• Major categories:

  • Psychotherapy: Psychological techniques for overcoming difficulties or personal growth.

  • Biomedical therapy: Medication and procedures impacting physiology.

  • Eclectic approach: Combines various therapy techniques.

Psychoanalysis Therapies

• Founded by Sigmund Freud:

  • Techniques include free associations, resistances, dreams, and transference.

  • Aims to release repressed feelings for self-insight.

  • Continues to influence psychodynamic therapy today.

Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Therapies

• Goals:

  • Energy release and awareness of repressed feelings.

  • Insights into origins and reducing inner conflicts.

• Techniques include:

  • Historical reconstruction.

  • Resistance analysis.

  • Interpretation and transference assessments.

Psychodynamic Therapy

• Goals:

  • Understanding symptoms through relationships and events.

  • Explore defended-against feelings and thoughts.

• Focus on unconscious forces and childhood experiences.

• Aims to enhance self-insight.

Humanistic Therapies (Insight Therapies)

• Goal: Self-fulfillment through self-awareness and acceptance.

• Addresses inner conflicts and emphasizes personal growth.

• Techniques (Carl Rogers):

  • Person-centered, nondirective therapy.

  • Active listening and unconditional positive regard.

Active Listening Techniques

• Key hints:

  • Paraphrase to confirm understanding.

  • Invite clarification on concerns.

  • Reflect feelings to validate emotions.

Behavior Therapies

• Focus: Behaviors as problems; using learning principles to eliminate them.

• Techniques include:

  • Classical conditioning (counterconditioning, exposure therapies).

  • Systematic desensitization and virtual reality exposure therapy.

Aversive Conditioning

• Associates unpleasant states with unwanted behaviors.

• Teaches individuals what not to do through negative responses.

Operant Conditioning Techniques

• Behavior shaped through rewards and punishments.

• Concerns:

  • Durability of modified behaviors.

  • Ethical issues in behavior control.

Cognitive Therapies

• Focus on teaching new, adaptive thinking patterns.

• Based on the idea that thoughts influence emotional reactions.

Beck’s Therapy for Depression

• Goals:

  • Challenge negative beliefs about oneself and situations.

• Techniques:

  • Gentle questioning to reveal irrational thinking.

  • Stress inoculation training and promoting positive self-talk.

Cognitive Therapy Techniques

• Aim:

  • Reveal beliefs and challenge interpretations.

  • Decatastrophize thoughts and responsibilities.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Goals:

  • Alter thinking and actions through an integrated approach.

  • Replace irrational negative thoughts with realistic ones.

• Techniques:

  • Training to cultivate a positive mindset and realistic approaches.

  • Utilization of online CBT and dialectical behavioral therapy.

Group Therapy

• Aims:

  • Similar to individual therapy but in small group settings.

• Benefits:

  • Cost-effective and time-saving.

  • Offers shared experiences and feedback for social skill development.

Family Therapy

• Aims:

  • Preventive mental health strategy assisting emotional connections.

  • Heal and differentiate relationships within family systems.

• Techniques:

  • Understanding family dynamics and individual roles.