Treatment 2

Psychotherapy Overview

  • Definition: Treatments through interaction with a professional psychotherapist.
  • Types of Therapies:
    • Insight-focused therapies: Help clients gain insight into the causes of their disorders, to address them later.
    • Intervention-focused therapies: Aim to change clients' thinking and behaviors to cope with symptoms or directly address the cause.

Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Definition: Based on Freudian principles to identify and resolve unconscious conflicts.
  • Type: Insight psychotherapy.
  • Mechanism: Reveals unconscious causes, leading to personality change.
  • Effectiveness: Mixed; works well for some high-functioning clients but is generally less preferred than other therapies.
  • Commonly Used For: Depression, anxiety, and personality disorders.

Unique Features of Psychodynamic Therapy

  1. Interpretation: Therapist helps reveal the unconscious causes of problems.
  2. Transference: Clients project unconscious desires onto the therapist.
  3. Removing Interference: Distraction-free environment required.
  4. Duration: Average duration is about 2 years with frequent sessions.

Techniques in Psychodynamic Therapy

  • Unstructured Talk: Open conversation to reveal thought patterns.
  • Free Association: Clients generate ideas freely.
  • Dream Analysis: Analysis of dream journals kept by clients.
  • Resistance: Client's upset responses are viewed as defense mechanisms indicating therapy progress.

Person-Centered Therapy (PCT)

  • Definition: A humanistic therapy where the therapist mirrors the client to help them reach insight and become their authentic self.
  • Type: Insight psychotherapy.
  • Mechanism: Focuses on empathy and radical acceptance for self-acceptance and problem-solving.
  • Effectiveness: Effective for high-functioning individuals seeking insight.
  • Commonly Used For: Primarily depression, anxiety, and addictions.

Unique Features of Person-Centered Therapy

  • Insight comes from the patient, not the therapist.
  • Provides a compassionate, judgment-free environment.
  • Therapist shares their own experiences and is genuine.
  • Emphasizes open communication, empathy, and total acceptance.

Techniques in Person-Centered Therapy

  • Unconditional Positive Regard: Accepting and understanding the client irrespective of their actions.
  • Active Listening/Mirroring: Empathically listening and echoing clients without adding interpretations.
  • Motivational Interviewing: Restating discrepancies in clients' statements for clarification without forcing change.