1. What is Therapy? AP PSYCH CH 13

2. Therapy  Refers to a wide variety of psychological and biomedical techniques aimed at dealing with mental disorders or coping with problems of living.  Focuses on improving a person’s mental, behavioral and/or social functioning.

3. Going to Therapy  People seek therapy for many reasons  Not just disorders in the DSM  Feel like they cannot resolve problem themselves  Terms used for people who go to therapy:  Patient – used in medical or biological approach  Client – used for professionals who see disorders as problems in living (as opposed to a mental illness

4. Access issues  Group least likely to have access to medical care is the poor.  In some communities, there is a lack of qualified mental health professionals.  Illness itself may prevent care  Agoraphobia  Paranoia

5. Goals of Therapy  Therapists are professionally trained  Building a relationship; trust  Working together to solve a problem  Client must believe in the therapy  Therapeutic process: 1. Identify the problem 2. Identify the causes of the problem or conditions that maintain the problem 3. Deciding on and carrying out treatment

6. Types of Mental Health Care Professionals  TABLE 13.1 on page 528 Professional TitleSpecialty and common work settingCredentials and qualifications Counseling psychologist Provides help in dealing with common problems of normal living: relationships, child rearing, occupational choice, school problems. Work in schools, clinics, other Minimum master’s degree in counseling; more typically a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), EdD (Doctor of Education), or PsyD (Doctor of Psychology) Clinical Psychologist Primarily work with those who have severe disorders. Usually private practice or employed by mental health agencies or hospitals. NOT licenses to prescribe drugs. PhD, PsyD, State Certification PsychiatristSpecialty of Medicine; deals with severe mental problems by prescribing drugs. Private practice or hospitals. MD (Doctor of Medicine) Medical Board Certification PsychoanalystPractitioners of Freudian Therapy. Private practice. MD, training is psychoanalysis Clinical or psychiatric social worker Social workers with a specialty in dealing with mental disorder, with the viewpoint of the social and environmental context of the problem. MSW (Masters of Social Work

7. History of Therapy  Medieval Europe – disorders caused by demons  “therapists” preformed exorcisms  Insane asylums  “shielded from stressors of the world”  Beatings, cold showers, abuse  Straightjackets, cages  Bethlehem Hospital in London  Spectators could pay to observe  “Bedlam” = noisy chaotic place

8. Modern Therapy  Psychological therapies – (collectively called psychotherapy) based on psychological principles  Include:  Insight therapy – helping people understand their problems and change their thought, motives, feelings  Behavioral therapy – changing behavior  Biomedical therapies – focus on altering the brain by the use of drugs, psychosurgery, or electroconvulsive therapy