70.1 – Discuss how psychotherapy, biomedical therapy, and eclectic approach to therapy differ. Mental health therapies are classified into two primary categories The Psychological Therapies/Psychotherapy Includes: Psychoanalysis, psychodynamic therapy & interpersonal therapy Humanistic therapy Behavioral therapy Cognitive therapy The Biomedical Therapies Eclectic Approach..?

70.1 – Discuss how psychotherapy, biomedical therapy, and eclectic approach to therapy differ. The different types of psychological disorders – each with different symptoms – require different therapeutic approaches. Psychotherapy and biomedical therapy are two major types of therapy. Psychotherapy is based on the interaction between a trained therapist, using psychological techniques, and a client, who is experiencing emotional, behavioral, or interpersonal problems. Psychotherapists usually have a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology and are trained in the techniques of psychology. Biomedical therapies are medications, electroconvulsive therapy, or other medical procedures that directly affect the brain and nervous system of a patient. Psychiatrists have a medical degree, which allows them to prescribe medication, and have had extensive training in a specialty area. Clinical social workers, substance abuse therapists, and marriage and family counselors are some of the other professionals trained to treat mental-health patients.

70.1 – Discuss how psychotherapy, biomedical therapy, and eclectic approach to therapy differ. The eclectic approach involves using a variety of therapeutic techniques based on the symptoms and needs of the client. The focus among the different types of therapists is to help clients cope with symptoms associated with the disorder. This may require changing the way a client thinks or behaves.

70.2 – Discuss the goals and techniques of psychoanalysis, and describe how they have been adapted in psychodynamic therapy. Sigmund Freud established the psychodynamic approach to understand the causes of psychological disorders. He was interested in why some of his patients, who were experiencing blindness, paralysis, or other symptoms had no presenting physical causes. When Freud interviewed those patients, he was astounded by how many reported traumatic childhood episodes. Freud concluded that these conflicts, which occurred during early childhood, would later affect the individual as an adult. He believed that unresolved conflicts, which originated in early childhood, became repressed, or pushed back, into the unconscious. Even though a person is unaware of the content of the unconscious, it could still affect personality development, thoughts, and behavior. Freud developed psychoanalysis, a method of psychotherapy aimed at reveling and resolving conflicts that are in the unconscious. Psychoanalysis involves only the therapist and the client. The goal is to make connections between modern problems and conflicts and event that occurred in the client’s past.

70.2 – Discuss the goals and techniques of psychoanalysis, and describe how they have been adapted in psychodynamic therapy. Traditional psychoanalytical sessions are based on first helping the client gain insight and understanding of the conflicts in his or her unconscious. Next, clients are shown how these unconscious conflicts affect their thinking and behavior. Clients may have to meet with the analyst several times a week, over the course of several years.

70.2 – Discuss the goals and techniques of psychoanalysis, and describe how they have been adapted in psychodynamic therapy. A psychoanalyst relies on several techniques to reveal and resolve the unconscious. One is free association, a technique that involves the client speaking freely about any topic or image that comes into his or her mind. The client usually lies on a couch and the psychoanalyst takes notes, looking for any symbolic meaning, and asks questions from time to time to continue the dialogue. During the free association period, if a client stops talking or refuses to comment on a particular topic, the psychoanalyst suggests that the client is demonstrating resistance. Resistance is when the client unconsciously tries to block the process of revealing repressed memories. Through resistance, the psychoanalyst is able to gain insight into a possible conflict within the client’s unconscious. Dream interpretation is another technique used by psychoanalysts. Dream interpretation involves identifying and separating the manifest content, the portion of the dream that is consciously remembered, and the latent content, which includes impulses, wishes, and fantasies. The latent content is of interest to the psychoanalyst because it may shed some light into the unconscious. Psychoanalysts also pay attention to Freudian slips, which are slips of the tongue, or statements accidentally made by the client, that could reveal what the client is unconsciously thinking. Transference is perhaps the most important technique. Transference occurs when the patient unconsciously responds to the therapist as though he or she were a significant person in his or her life. The client will possible transfer and project past unresolved conflicts from the unconscious onto the therapist which will result in the client’s actively reliving and acting out these past conflicts. This can help the psychoanalyst gain insight and also can help the client address and cope with these conflicts.

70.2 – Discuss the goals and techniques of psychoanalysis, and describe how they have been adapted in psychodynamic therapy. Contemporary Psychoanalysis  Traditional psychoanalysis is still practiced today, but not as commonly as it once was. Many people find psychoanalysis sessions too long and expensive. The emergence of other types of therapy, along with criticisms of Freud’s personality theory led people to seek therapeutic alternatives. In response to this decline, short-term psychodynamic therapy evolved. An advantage of short-term psychodynamic therapy is that it is less expensive than traditional psychoanalysis. Clients are given quicker diagnosis, and are not required to continue the therapy for more than a few months. The short-term approach still dives into the conflicts of the unconscious, and uses some of the same techniques, including transference and interpretation. Another psychodynamic approach, interpersonal therapy, helps clients cope with present problems and situations. An interpersonal therapist helps clients deal with problems that have occurred since childhood, focusing on the conflicts presently facing them. This may include problems associated with work, marital issues, grieving from a loss, or handling stressful encounters and situations.

70.3 – Identify the basic themes of humanistic therapy, and describe the specific goals and techniques of Rogers’ client-centered approach. The humanistic perspective emphasizes striving for and reaching human potential. Humanists believe that people are inherently good and are motivated through a desire to grow psychologically. They believe that the most important feature is a person’s self-concept, a person’s thought or perceptions of him or herself. Given the right psychological environment, one that will encourage growth, a person can develop a healthy self-concept and strive to reach his or her potential. Humanists believe disorders develop when a person’s growth process is stopped or interfered with by an unhealthy environment, resulting in a negative self-perception. Therapy is aimed not at “curing” an individual, but at helping the individual rediscover thoughts and behavior that will further continue his or her growth process, resulting in an improved self-concept. The therapist tries to establish a therapeutic session that is accepting of the individual, making the client feel secure and comfortable to express him or herself. Clients, in turn, establish their own thoughts and behavioral patterns.

70.3 – Identify the basic themes of humanistic therapy, and describe the specific goals and techniques of Rogers’ client-centered approach. Client-Centered Therapy Carl Rogers, once a psychodynamic therapist and later a prominent humanistic therapist, was disenchanted with how formal and detached psychodynamic therapy had become and believed that the client should be more involved and help direct the therapeutic sessions. This involved the therapist not interfering, directing, or judging the client. Rogers wanted to establish a therapeutic environment that encouraged growth and self-discovery by the client. He referred to this approach as client-centered, or person-centered therapy, therapies that rely on three guidelines provided by the therapist: unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence.

70.3 – Identify the basic themes of humanistic therapy, and describe the specific goals and techniques of Rogers’ client-centered approach. Client-Centered Therapy 1) Unconditional Positive Regard treating the client as a valued person listening to the client without being judgmental, interrupting, or expressing opinion trying to accept the client’s thoughts and considering the background and setting of the client’s history goal: the client will overcome feelings of inferiority 2) Empathy (active listening) the therapist tries to see problems from the client’s perspective understands what the client is going through and how it is affecting his or her decision-making process use of reflection, an example of active listening, which repeats the client’s thoughts and concerns, while adding supportive comments 3) Congruence (also called genuineness) the therapist tries to be consistent with how his or her thoughts and feelings are directed toward the client if a therapist does not understand a comment by the client, he or she will inquire, instead of just continuing with the session the therapist is open and honest with the client, which promotes trust by the client, resulting in a positive relationship