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COURSE NOTES: Introductory Psychology

Psych101 graphic

Chapter 14:

Therapy

Notes for Psychology 101: based on Myers's text, Exploring Psychology, with supplements and modifications by the instructor, Prof. Cloninger.

denotes a term that you should know how to define, and to recognize and give examples.

denotes an important person. You should remember this person's name and what (s)he has done.

denotes an important research finding.

denotes an issue that you should be able to discuss or explain.

[Time permitting, we will supplement this presentation in class with considerable video material of therapies.]

Early forms of therapy seem quite primitive today. [video material presented in class]

PSYCHOTHERAPY: an emotionally charged, confiding interaction between a trained therapist and someone who suffers from psychological difficulties (Myers, 2005, p. 507)
examples: psychoanalytic therapy, cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy

Some professions that function as therapists:
(Adapted from Hayes & Heiby, 1996.)

biofeedback practitioners
counselors and guidance counselors
drug and alcohol counselors
marriage and family therapists
movement therapists
nurses
psychiatrists
psychologists
sex therapists
social workers

Treatment of seriously disturbed people may occur on an inpatient basis, briefly or for a long time. When effective medications became available for psychotic patients, the country faced problems of deinstitutionalization.

Today, large numbers of the severe chronically mentally ill live on the streets, homeless. Many now question the wisdom of deinstitutionalization. It seemed humane, but was it actually abandonment?

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES

psychoanalysis
humanistic
behavior
cognitive

eclectic approach: using a blend of therapies

Psychoanalysis

Aims: insight into the unconscious; working through buried feelings

Methods

free association
dream interpretation
interpretations
resistance
transference

Psychoanalytic therapy is time-consuming and expensive.
It aims at a basic restructuring of personality, instead of focusing on specific symptoms.
It often considers childhood issues that are still unresolved.

"psychodynamic" therapies

influenced by Freud
more focus on implications of past for current symptoms
briefer

Humanistic Therapies

focus on present and future (not past)
focus on conscious thoughts
take responsibility
"growth" (not "illness")

Rogers' client-centered therapy

nondirective

Rogerian therapist behaviors:

genuineness
acceptance
empathy

active listening

paraphrase
invite clarification
reflect feelings

Behavior Therapies

Behavior therapies attack the symptom directly. The symptom IS the problem, not simply an indication of any underlying disturbance.

Classical Conditioning Techniques

counterconditioning: learning a new response to the stimulus, instead of the undesired response
Systematic desensitization is one counterconditioning technique: learn to relax in a situation that previously caused anxiety.

Conditioning: teaching relaxation instead of fear.
progressive relaxation

Aversion therapy (aversive conditioning) is another counterconditioning technique: learn to be repulsed by something that previously attracted you.

aversion therapy for alcoholics

Operant Conditioning

rewards and/or punishments
token economy
behavior modification

Cognitive Therapies

cognitive therapy

cognitive-behavior therapy

Rational-Emotive Therapy (Ellis)

illogical thinking produces problems (such as depression)
confront the illogical ideas and change them

Cognitive Therapy for Depression (Beck)

reverse "catastrophizing beliefs," such as the idea that failing one test will prevent any future happiness
learn to take credit for your successes and to realize that failures are caused by external circumstances

GROUP AND FAMILY THERAPIES

self-help and support groups
Alcoholics Anonymous
family therapy

ECLECTIC therapists

use techniques from several types of therapy (cf. Myers, 2005, p. 507)

EVALUATING PSYCHOTHERAPIES

Is Psychotherapy Effective?

clients' perceptions: high levels of satisfaction
clinicians' perceptions
outcome research: effective (on average), especially with clear-cut problems

must have an untreated control group!

The Relative Effectiveness of Different Therapies

about equally effective

Evaluating Alternative Therapies

Therapeutic Touch

evidence does not support energy fields

Eye Movement Desensization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

effective without eye movements

Light Exposure Therapy

more effective than control treatment

Commonalities Among Psychotherapies

Hope for Demoralized People
A New Perspective
An Empathic, Trusting, Caring Relationship

Culture and Values in Psychotherapy

THE BIOMEDICAL THERAPIES

Drug Therapies

antipsychotic drugs

e.g., chlorpromazine (Thorazine); block dopamine

antianxiety drugs

e.g., Xanax and Valium

antidepressant drugs

e.g., Prozac; block reuptake of Serotonin

A great deal of the effectiveness of drug therapies is due to the placebo effect (cf. Myers, 2005, p. 532).

Electroconvulsive Therapy

"ECT"

for severe depression

Psychosurgery

lobotomy (Egas Moniz)
removing brain tissue (e.g., between emotional areas and frontal lobes)

PREVENTING PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

change the conditions that produce disorders (such as poverty)

Researchers report that children from low income families are:
(Source: Knutson, J. F. (1995). Psychological characteristics of maltreated children: Putative risk factors and consequences. Annual Review of Psychology, 46, 401-431. (p. 408))

4 times as likely to be physically abused
12 times as likely to be physically neglected
4 times as likely to be sexually abused

Sending mental health teams into areas that suffer disasters (natural disasters, mass killings, etc.) also helps prevent the development of serious mental disturbance.

Students: You can also use resources for this text supplied by the publisher. These include a chapter overview, self-tests, and other resources.