1. Type of Therapy: Their use in treating psychological disorders EQ: How do we uses psychotherapy to treat different types of psychological disorders?

2. Overview of Therapy:

3. What is Psychotherapy???  Psychotherapy is the treatment of psychological disorders through talking and other therapy based methods  Any treatment that is based on therapy falls under this umbrella  These treatments usually involve one patient and one therapist

4. Who Needs Psychotherapy???  While many people think of “psycho” therapy, the reality is that any person can seek psychotherapy  A therapist will have guidelines for diagnosing people with a psychological disorder  Almost any psychological disorder can be treated through therapy

5. Legal/Moral Considerations:  It is illegal/immoral to treat a person for a psychological disorder they do not have  Unlike doctors, who are required to take the Hippocratic Oath, therapists are not required to take any oaths  They are, however, expected to have the best interest of their clients as a guiding principal in therapy.

6. Patient/Client Confidentiality:  In California, information from therapy is confidential -Private  The only exceptions are -child endangerment -endangerment of others -endangerment to one’s self

7. Types of Therapy:

8. Psychodynamic Psychotherapy???  This approach, championed by Freud and others, concentrates on the unconscious mind  Dreams may be analyzed  Sexual and aggressive impulses from the unconscious mind cause us to act out in abnormal ways  Word response and free association may commonly be used to tap into the unconscious

9. Psychodynamic Example: Multiple Personality Disorder

10. Humanistic Psychotherapy???  The humanistic approach focuses on the individual  This type of therapy is client centered and client driven  The role of the therapist is primarily to listen  Empathy is used by the therapist  The goal is usually for the therapist to guide the individual to solving their own problems

11. Humanistic Example: Grief Counseling

12. Gestalt Psychotherapy???  This type of therapy is based on actively confronting one’s issues  The therapist works as the guide to get patients to confront their issues head on  They use nonverbal cues and scenarios to get to the root of the problem

13. Gestalt Example: Substance Abuse Counseling

14. Behavioral Psychotherapy???  This type of therapy focuses on the behaviors that are getting in our way  The therapist tries to condition the individual to be aware of their behaviors and to take steps that promote positive behaviors and discourage negative behaviors  The goal is usually to eliminate an unwanted behavior

15. Behavioral Example: OCD

16. Group Psychotherapy???  In this type of therapy, people meet in a group  Usually, these are individuals who have a common psychological issue  They may meet with a therapist, or in a group that is designed by themselves  The goal is to support one another  “you are not alone”

17. Group Example: Alcoholics Anonymous

18. Family/Couples Psychotherapy???  The focus of family/couples therapy is the dynamic within the group, not necessarily the individuals  The role of the therapist is more of a mediator than the leader  The goal is to create normalcy within the group

19. Family/Couples Example: Marriage Counseling

20. Essay:  Compare and contrast the merits and demerits of the different approaches to psychotherapy. Include specific aspects of the psychodynamic, gestalt, behavioral, and humanist approaches.