Chapter 14 (04/23)

Psychological Therapies

Chapter Overview

  • Focus on various psychological therapies.

Objectives for the Lecture

  • By the end, students should be able to:
      - Distinguish between different types of therapy:
        - Psychotherapy
        - Biomedical therapy
        - Insight therapy
        - Action therapy
      - Understand the four major psychotherapies:
        - Psychoanalytic
        - Humanistic
        - Behavioral
        - Cognitive
      - Know how the biomedical community treats:
        - Anxiety disorders
        - Mood disorders
        - Schizophrenia

Types of Psychological Therapies

Psychotherapy vs Biomedical Therapy

  • Psychotherapy: A method of therapy that involves “talking about problems.”
  • Biomedical therapy: A method involving medical procedures to treat psychological issues.

Types of Psychotherapy

  • Insight therapies: Aim at understanding motives and actions.
  • Action therapies: Focus on changing behavior.
Insights and Actions in Therapy
  • Core types include:
      - Insight Therapies:
        - Psychoanalysis
        - Humanistic therapy
      - Action Therapies:
        - Behavior therapy
        - Cognitive therapy

Insights Therapies

Psychoanalysis

  • Defined as a method where mental and behavioral problems arise from conflicts between acceptable behaviors and unacceptable, unconscious desires.
  • Founder: Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician who invented psychoanalysis.
Characteristics of Psychoanalysis
  • Dream analysis: Examines dreams to reveal the unconscious mind.
  • Free association: The technique where patients express thoughts freely, allowing the unconscious to surface.
  • Resistance: Indicates patients' unwillingness to discuss certain topics, signifying proximity to repressed memories.
  • Transference: The process where patients project feelings from past relationships onto the therapist.

Humanistic Therapy

  • Emphasizes the concepts of free will, self-actualization, and human nature as growth-motivated.
  • Key figures: Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
  • Also known as Person-Centered Therapy.
Four Basic Elements of Humanistic Therapy
  • Reflection: Therapeutic mirroring of client statements to facilitate communication without interruption.
  • Unconditional positive regard: Establishing a completely accepting atmosphere for the client.
  • Empathy: Identifying with the client's feelings to enhance therapeutic rapport.
  • Authenticity: Providing genuine, transparent responses from the therapist.

Action Therapies

Behavior Therapy

  • An action-oriented therapy employing learning techniques aimed at modifying undesirable behaviors and enhancing desirable ones.
  • Utilizes methods such as:
      - Modeling: Learning through imitation.
      - Reinforcement: Encouragement of desired behaviors.
      - Extinction training: Reducing undesirable behaviors by removing reinforcements.
  • Other names include Behavior modification and Applied Behavior Analysis.

Cognitive Therapy

  • Concentrates on altering distorted cognitive patterns to help clients develop a more positive mindset.
  • Beck’s Cognitive Therapy: Focuses on testing clients' beliefs for accuracy.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • A combination of cognitive and behavioral techniques.
  • Goals include:
      - Establishing positive thinking patterns.
      - Implementing a system of rewards and punishments for behavior modification.
      - Developing coping strategies for future challenges.
  • Endorsement: Recognized as the most effective psychotherapy for anxiety and mood disorders.
  • Criticism: Some argue it addresses only symptoms rather than root causes of issues.

Biomedical Therapies

Overview

  • These therapies directly impact biological processes affecting mental health.

Psychopharmacological Treatments

  • Main types include:
      - Antipsychotic drugs (Neuroleptics):
        - Conventional Antipsychotics: Older medications.
        - Atypical Antipsychotics: Newer options with different mechanisms.
      - Antianxiety drugs (anxiolytics):
        - Common examples include benzodiazepines:
          - Xanax
          - Valium
          - Librium
      - Antidepressant Drugs:
        - MAOIs: Older class of antidepressants.
        - SSRIs: Newer class such as Prozac and Zoloft.
      - Mood Stabilizing Drugs:
        - Lithium: Often used for treating Bipolar Disorder.