Psychological Treatment Styles AP Psychology Ms. Nelson

1. Psychodynamic Psychoanalysis Freud’s Theory of Personality Psychologist helps patient to achieve insight Conscious awareness of dynamics that underlie their problem Long buried emotions, motives & conflicts Adjust behavior to current life situation

Free Association Mental events associated with one another Verbally report, without censorship, any thoughts, feelings, or images that enter their awareness. Analyst sits out of sight, take notes

Dream Interpretation Dreams express impulses, fantasies & wishes that client’s defenses keep bottled up during waking hours Search for unconscious connections or materials in dreams

Issues Resistance: defense maneuvers that hinder process Transference: client responds inappropriately to analyst; role in personal history Interpretation: comments/statements made by analyst to provide client with insight or understanding

2. Humanistic People capable of consciously controlling actions and take responsibility for behavior All possess inner resources for self-help Disordered behavior reflects a blocking of natural growth process Focus on present and future instead of past

Person (Client) Centered Therapy Unconditional positive regard Genuinely cares about client Empathy Willingness to view through client’s eyes Genuineness Consistency between feeling & actions of therapist

Gestalt Therapy Frederick S. (Fritz) Perls “Organized Whole” Perceptual principles through which people organize stimulus elements into whole patterns Groups using imaginative techniques to get clients “in touch” with their feelings SNL-Vito

3. Cognitive Focus on the role of irrational and self-defeating thought patterns. Discover & change the cognitions that underlie the problem Thought processes are habitual, well-practiced and ingrained Might be unaware of negative thoughts or triggers

Rational-Emotive Therapy A. Activating environmental event ↓ B. Beliefs that are activated by A C. Emotional & behavioral consequences produced by B D. Disputing & changing of B (leads back to B)

4. Behavioral Maladaptive behaviors not just symptoms of a problem, but ARE the problem Problem behaviors are learned just like regular behaviors Maladaptive behaviors can be unlearned by using classical conditioning principles

Techniques Aversion Therapy: pair attractive stimulus (CS) with a noxious (USC) to condition Operant Conditioning: apply to increase or decrease specific behavior Modeling/Social Skills: observe and imitate Exposure: extinction approach, systematic exposure to item to reduce phobia Desensitization: Learning based treatment, used for anxiety

5. Biological Drug Therapy Antipsychotic: decrease dopamine, reduce hallucinations and delusions Antianxiety: slows down synaptic activity in nervous system Antidepressant: 3 types, alters hormone reactions in nervous system

Severe Treatments Electro-convulsive Therapy: Psycho-surgery: Electrodes to skulls, electrical current, safe environment Causing seizure of central nervous system Psycho-surgery: Procedure to remove or destroy brain tissue Attempt to change disordered behavior

Therapy Notes Combine types: tailored to address certain disorders Group Therapy: 6-8 people who share a disorder or problem Family Therapy: family patterns are explored to support client’s needs Marital Therapy: Therapist works with BOTH partners

Other Issues Culture Gender Religion Naturopathic Social Expectations

Choosing a Therapist Therapist Variables Client Variables Education & Experience Style of therapy Client Variables Expectations Willingness to work hard

Bibliography Psychology, The Science of Mind and Behavior. 4th Edition, Passer & Smith, McGraw-Hill. 2009.