Name That Therapy Related Topics: Psychological disorders, psychotherapies. NOTES This activity should be presented AFTER students have read the section of their textbooks on psychological disorders and therapy. The activity consists of 10 case studies. Each case presents techniques of either psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive-behavior therapy, group and family therapy, or biomedical therapy. You might want to present this activity in conjunction with the ActivePsych activity “Models of Therapy.” Additionally, a kind of cognitive-behavioral therapy (RET or Rational Emotive Therapy) is presented as a model for managing stress in the ActivePsych activity “Managing Stress.” Acknowledgements: This activity was written by Antoinette R. Miller, Clayton State University

Case Study 1 A patient in a hospital receives poker chips for making her bed, being punctual at meal times, and maintaining her physical appearance. The poker chips can be exchanged for privileges, such as television viewing, snacks, and magazines. NOTES Students will be presented with 10 case studies in this activity. After a slide presents a case study of a technique related to a particular kind of therapy, the following slide will prompt students to identify the kind of therapy employed in the case study. Before moving on to the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy this hospital patient received.

Case Study 1: THERAPY This hospital patient received behavior therapy cognitive therapy cognitive-behavior therapy psychoanalysis biomedical therapy NOTES Point out that this patient received a form of behavior therapy known as a token economy (Answer “A”). A token economy is an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats. Token economies have been successfully used in various settings (hospitals, homes, schools, institutions for the delinquent) and with members of various populations (for example, disturbed children and people with schizophrenia or other mental disabilities). If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 2 A therapist helps Rebecca overcome her fear of water by getting her to swim in the family’s backyard pool three times a day for two consecutive weeks. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Rebecca received.

Case Study 2: THERAPY Rebecca received family therapy humanistic therapy behavior therapy cognitive therapy cognitive-behavior therapy NOTES Point out that Rebecca received a form of behavior therapy, known as exposure therapy (Answer “C”). Exposure therapies are behavioral techniques, such as systematic desensitization, that treat anxieties by exposing people to (in imagination or actuality) to the things they fear and avoid. Systematic desensitization is a type of counter conditioning that associates a pleasant relaxed state with gradually increasing anxiety-triggering stimuli. It is commonly used to treat phobias. Also point out that behavior therapies apply learning principles to eliminate unwanted behaviors. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 3 In order to help Janet overcome her nearly irresistible craving for chocolate, a therapist provides her with a supply of chocolate candies that contain solidified droplets of a harmless but very bitter-tasting substance. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Janet received.

Case Study 3: THERAPY Janet has received psychoanalysis group therapy behavior therapy humanist therapy cognitive therapy NOTES Point out that Janet received a kind of behavior therapy known as aversive conditioning (Answer “C”). Aversive conditioning is a type of counter conditioning that associates an unpleasant state with an unwanted behavior. Also point out that behavior therapies apply learning principles to eliminate unwanted behaviors. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 4 After George tripped and fell down in front of a large group of people (causing them to laugh), he called himself “stupid.” Later, when Nicole rejected his request for a date, George saw this as evidence that he’d never find love or success. The campus psychologist suggested George keep a notebook, detailing similar upsetting situations and including how they made him feel as well as how he could reinterpret them in a more reasonable way. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy George received.

Case Study 4: THERAPY George received biomedical therapy humanist therapy cognitive therapy behavior therapy psychoanalysis NOTES Point out that George received cognitive therapy, in which clients are taught new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting; it is based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 5 When Rubin received a well-deserved job promotion, he told his therapist it was just a lucky break. The therapist responded, “Let’s work together, Rubin, on helping you see that you deserve some credit for your successes.” NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Rubin received.

Case Study 5: THERAPY Rubin received behavior therapy cognitive therapy psychoanalysis humanist therapy group therapy NOTES Point out that George received a form of humanistic therapy known as client-centered therapy, a technique developed by Carl Rogers (Answer “D”). In client centered therapy, the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathetic environment to facilitate a client’s growth (also called person-centered therapy). With active listening, the listener (the therapist) echoes, restates, and clarifies what the client says--it is a feature of Carl Roger’s client-centered therapy. Also point out that the humanistic perspective emphasizes people’s inherent potential for self-fulfillment. Humanistic therapies aim to boost self-fulfillment by helping people grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 6 Melanie’s therapist suggests that when she feels anxious, Melanie should attribute her arousal to her highly reactive nervous system and then shift her attention to playing a game with her preschool child. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Melanie received.

Case Study 6: THERAPY Melanie received behavior therapy cognitive-behavior therapy cognitive therapy family therapy psychoanalysis NOTES Point out that Melanie received cognitive-behavior therapy (Answer “B”). Cognitive-behavior therapy is a popular integrated therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeated thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior). If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 7 After Darnel dropped a pass in an important football game, he became depressed and vowed to quit the team because of this athletic incompetence. The campus psychologist challenged his illogical reasoning and pointed out that Darnel’s “incompetence” had earned him an athletic scholarship. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Darnel received.

Case Study 7: THERAPY Darnel received group therapy biomedical therapy humanistic therapy behavior therapy cognitive therapy NOTES Point out that Darnel received cognitive therapy (Answer “E”). Cognitive therapy teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting; it is based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 8 When Molly told her therapist about her frightening car accident, the therapist instructed her to close her eyes and verbalize any further thoughts stimulated by this experience even if the thoughts were scary or embarrassing. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Molly received.

Case Study 8: THERAPY Molly received humanistic therapy cognitive therapy behavioral therapy psychoanalysis cognitive-behavior therapy NOTES Point out that Molly received psychoanalysis (Answer “D”). Psychoanalysis was Sigmund Freud’s therapeutic technique. Freud believed the patient’s free associations, resistances, dreams, and transferences—and the therapist’s interpretation of them—released previously repressed feelings, allowing the patient to gain self-insight. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 9 When Freda told her therapist that she wanted to get his advice on what she should do about her relationship problems, he replied: “It sounds to me as though your friends don’t want to be as close to you as you want to be to them. That must make you feel lonely and confused.” NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Freda received.

Case Study 9: THERAPY Freda received biomedical therapy humanistic therapy cognitive-behavior therapy psychoanalysis group therapy NOTES Point out that Freda received a kind of humanistic therapy known as client-centered therapy, which was developed by Carl Rogers (Answer “B”). In client centered therapy, the therapist uses techniques such as active listening within a genuine, accepting, empathetic environment to facilitate a client’s growth (also called person-centered therapy). With active listening, the listener (the therapist) echoes, restates, and clarifies what the client says. Also point out that humanistic perspective emphasizes people’s inherent potential for self-fulfillment. Humanistic therapies aim to boost self-fulfillment by helping people grow in self-awareness and self-acceptance. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Case Study 10 Dr. Rassmunsen uses medication and other medical procedures, including electroconvulsive therapy, to treat the symptoms of psychological disorders. NOTES Before moving onto the next case study, have students speculate about the therapy Dr. Rassmunsen employed.

Case Study 10: THERAPY Dr. Rassmunsen employed behavior therapy cognitive-behavior therapy biomedical therapy cognitive-behavior humanistic therapy NOTES Point out that Dr. Rassmunsen employs techniques of biomedical treatments (Answer “C”). Biomedical therapies physically change the brain’s functioning by altering its chemistry with drugs, overloading its circuits with electroconvulsive shock, using magnetic impulses to stimulate or dampen its activity, or altering its circuits through psychosurgery. Explain that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used on severely depressed patients. A brief electric current is sent through the brain of an anesthetized patient. It was first used on wide-awake patients, back in 1938 when it was introduced. Now, patients are anesthetized and given muscle relaxants to prevent injury from the convulsions. Within 30 minutes of the procedure, patients are awakened; they remember nothing of the treatment or of the hours preceding it. If you are using Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology to poll your students, you can graph their responses. For more information on iClicker, go to: http://www.iclicker.com If you don’t have iClicker technology, tally responses manually by having students write responses on a piece of paper. You may collect the papers or ask students to raise their hands to indicate the response they chose. You can use class responses to launch a discussion or start a debate.

Consider This… What factors do you think influence the type of therapy that will be used to treat someone? Why do some therapists combine psychological (“talk”) with biomedical therapies? Is therapy effective? NOTES Point out that all types of psychotherapy seem to offer new hope for demoralized people, a fresh perspective, and an empathetic, trusting, caring relationship. The therapeutic alliance (the emotional bond between therapist and client) is an important part of effective therapy and may help explain why some paraprofessionals can be as helpful as professional psychotherapists. Further explain that we find it convenient to talk of separate psychological and biological influences, but everything psychological is also biological. Every thought and feeling depends on the functioning brain—for example, every period of depression emerges from the electrochemical activity of the living brain. The influence is two way: When psychotherapy relieves obsessive-compulsive behavior, PET scans reveal a calmer brain (Schwartz & others, 1996). Finally, point out that meta-analyses indicate that no one type of therapy is most effective overall. Some therapies are particularly well-suited to specific disorders—the more specific the problem, the greater the chances for effective treatment. Debate continues over the extent to which clinical practice should be based on scientific evidence or intuitive responses. ***These questions should be used to promote class discussion. They are not constructed for use with Classroom Response System (iClicker) technology. Source: Schwartz, J.M., Stoessel, P.W., Baxter, L.R., Jr., Martin, K.M., & Phelps, M.E. (1996). Systematic changes in cerebral glucose metabolic rate after successful behavior modification treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 53, 109-113.