Unit 13: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Section 1: The Psychological Therapies

Treatment for Psychological Disorders PsychotherapyBiomedical Therapy Trained therapist uses psychological techniques to assist someone seeking to overcome problems. Therapists prescribe medication or a medical procedure that acts directly on the patients nervous system. ** 50% of all psychotherapists use the eclectic approach to treat their patients. (This PowerPoint presentation will focus on these types of therapies.)

Psychological Therapies Psychoanalysis – interpreting/analyzing the patient Humanistic Therapy – listening to/validating the patient Behavioral Therapy – directing actions of the patient Cognitive Therapies - directing thought patterns of patient Group & Family Therapy – grouping the patient for support **The following slides will focus on these 5 types of psychological therapies.

Psychoanalysis Aim: Bring repressed feelings into awareness. Methods: Free Association Dream Analysis Transference Hypnosis ** Watch Sheldon Psychoanalysis Perspective: Psychological problems diminish as the unconscious is uncovered.

Humanistic Therapy Aim: Focus on growth instead of illness. Focus on present thoughts instead of past experiences. Methods: Client/Person Centered Therapy Active Listening w/ genuineness, acceptance, and empathy Perspective: Psychological problems diminish as people get in touch with their thoughts and emotions.

Humanistic Therapy (continued) How to Listen Effectively Paraphrase what the person just said to check your understanding Invite clarification by asking for an example (person will also open up more.) Reflect feelings by confirming what they say. “That sounds frustrating.” Unconditional Positive Regard No Diagnosis No Judgment Active Listening Safe Space

Behavioral Therapy Aim: Shape proper behavior through conditioned learning using reinforcers. Methods: Classical Conditioning – conditioning the patient to unlearn negative associations between two stimuli Operant Conditioning – through a system of reinforcement, the patient is conditioned toward the desired behavior. Perspective: Psychological problems diminish as behavior is reconditioned

Conditioning Behavior Classical Conditioning Operant Conditioning Exposure Therapy - exposure of the patient to the feared object or context without any danger, in order to overcome their anxiety Aversion Therapy - patient is exposed to a stimulus while simultaneously being subjected to some form of discomfort. This conditioning is intended to cause the patient to associate the stimulus with unpleasant sensations in order to stop the specific behavior Shaping – reinforcement of successive approximations until the desired behavior is achieved Token Economies – behavior modification based on rewarding desired behavior with tokens (Behavioral Therapy Contd.)

Exposure Therapy – Ex: Spiders 7. Patient is exposed to spiders in a virtual room. 3. Patient is asked to draw picture of a spider. 4. Patient is exposed to a story about spiders. 1. Relaxation techniques are learned. 2. Patient is asked to describe his/her fear of spiders. 5. Patient exposed to pictures of spiders. 6. Patient is asked to experience spiders in a real room under safe conditions. 8. Patient is physically exposed to a real spider in a natural way 9. Patient is exposed to a real spider in an unnatural way. (Behavioral Therapy Contd.)

Aversion Therapy – Ex: Addiction Electric Shock Overindulgence Inducing Nausea (Behavioral Therapy Contd.)

Shaping - Ex: Training Animals (Behavioral Therapy Contd.)

Token Economies – Ex: Classroom (Behavioral Therapy Contd.)

Cognitive Therapy Aim: Teach the patient new and constructive ways of thinking that lead to positive experiences and feelings. Methods: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Stress Inoculation Training Cognitive Behavior Therapy Perspective: psychological problems diminish as the patient changes his/her interpretations/perspective of events. (Our thinking colors our feelings) Between the event and the response lies the mind. “There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy – Ex: Fired From Work Allowing the patient to see that their internal beliefs and the cognitive labels they put on things are negatively affecting their psychological health. Situation #1 involves a person with unhealthy internal beliefs and cognitive labels. Situation #1: Fired from job Internal belief: “I am worthless. It’s hopeless, I’ll never find another job. Who would want to hire me?” Result: Depression Situation #2 involves a person with healthy internal beliefs and cognitive labels. Situation #1: Fired from job Internal belief: “My boss was a jerk anyway. I’ll be happier working someplace else.” Result: No Depression **Read the Beck/Client interaction on pages (Cognitive Therapy Contd.)

Anxiety and Mood Disorders can also be linked to negative cognitive labels and treated (in part) with cognitive therapy.

Stress Inoculation Training Helps patients prepare themselves in advance for stressful situations in an effort to manage anxiety. Step #1: Initial Conceptualization – Patient is educated on how stress works and how, often and quite inadvertently, patients make their stress worse through the unconscious operation of bad coping habits. Therapists convey the idea that stressors are creative opportunities and puzzles to be solved, rather than insurmountable obstacles. Step #2: Skills Acquisition & Rehearsal - A variety of emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive appraisal, problem-solving, communication and socialization skills may be selected and taught on the basis of the patient’s unique needs. Step #3: Application & Follow Through - The therapist provides the patient with opportunities to practice coping skills. The patient may be encouraged to use a variety of simulation methods to help increase the realism of coping practice, including visualization exercises, modeling and vicarious learning, role playing of feared or stressful situations, and simple repetitious behavioral practice of coping routines until they become over-learned and easy to act out. (Cognitive Therapy Contd.)

Cognitive Behavior Therapy **This form of therapy combines techniques from cognitive and behavioral perspectives. (Cognitive Therapy Contd.)

Group & Family Therapy Aim: Provide the patient with a supportive environment of people with shared or similar experiences. Methods: Group discussions facilitated by a licensed mental health care professional. Perspective: psychological problems diminish as the patients share and hear similar experiences to their own. -Saves the patients’ money -Saves the therapist’s time -Helps people feel like they are part of a group -Helps people hear how others deal with similar problems Benefits: