Ch. 19 S. 1 : What is Therapy?

1. Ch. 19 S. 1 : What is Therapy? Obj: Define psychotherapy, and list the advantages of each method of psychotherapy.

2. What Is Therapy? Therapy is a general term for the variety of approaches that mental professionals use to treat psychological problems and disorders. Although there are many types of therapy, all approaches fall into two basic categories: psychologically based therapy and biologically based therapy.

3. Psychologically based therapy, known as psychotherapy, involves verbal interactions between a trained professional and a person – usually called the client or patient – who is seeking help for a psychological problem. • Biologically based therapies involve the use of drugs or other medical procedures to treat psychological disorders.

4. Achieving the Goals of Psychotherapy Although the various methods of psychotherapy use different approaches, they all seek to help troubled individuals. They do this by giving individuals hope for recovery; helping individuals gain insights or new perspectives on their problems; and providing the individual with a caring, trusting relationship with a mental health professional.

5. Providing people hope for recovery is very important because most people who seek therapy have problems they believe they cannot handle alone. Just the belief that therapy will help them is enough to put many people on the road to recovery. This is called the placebo effect.

6. Psychotherapy encourages individuals to talk freely about their uncomfortable feelings and problems. Therefore, a trusting relationship with the therapist is essential to the process.

7. The most commonly used methods of psychotherapy are psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy, cognitive therapy, and behavior therapy. Each method of psychotherapy has a different goal and different ways of achieving that goal. Some use just one method or a combination.

8. Types of Mental Health Professionals Many types of professionals are involved in the treatment of psychological problems and disorders. However, it is primarily psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers who practice psychotherapy.

9. Counseling psychologists generally treat people with less serious psychological problems, such as adjustment problems. These psychologists often work in schools an other educational institutions, where they counsel people about their personal problems.

10. Clinical psychologists help people with psychological problems adjust to the demands of life. Their clients’ problems may range from anxiety to loss of motivation. Many clinical psychologists work in hospitals or clinics, while others work in private practice.

11. Psychiatrists are medical doctors and many have private practices. As medical doctors, psychiatrists are the only mental health professionals who can prescribe medication and administer other types of biological therapy.

12. Other professionals who help people with psychological problems include psychiatric social workers and psychiatric nurses. Both have special training in psychology and usually work with other medical or mental health professionals. Psychiatric social workers may also practice psychotherapy. Teachers, guidance counselors, clergy, and family doctors may also help individuals with psychological problems.

13. Selecting the Right Professional Those seeking help for a psychological problem should familiarize themselves with the various practitioners and the type of treatment each offers. One way that people can gain that type of information is to ask the following questions:

14. What is the professional’s field? • What degrees does the professional hold? • Is the professional licensed by the state? • What are the therapist’s plans for treatment, and how long will treatment likely take? • What is the estimated cost of treatment?

15. Advantages of Individual Therapy Frequently, people who seek help for psychological problems have a choice between individual and group therapy. Some people do better with individual therapy because they need more personal attention than they would receive as part of a group.

16. Moreover, some people feel uncomfortable talking about their problems in front of other people. These individuals are likely to talk more openly and freely if they are alone with their therapist.

17. Advantages of Group Therapy One advantage of group therapy is that it helps individuals realize that they are not alone. People can see other group members struggling with problems similar to their own.

18. One of the most significant advantages of group therapy is that it shows individuals that therapy can work. From a practical standpoint, group therapy enables the therapist to work with several people at once. It is also more affordable for clients because they share the cost of the therapist's time.

19. Types of Group Therapy There are several types of group therapy. • Couples therapy tries to help two people improve or find more satisfaction in their relationship with each other. Such therapy also help couples discover healthy ways to resolve conflicts and handle intense emotions.

20. Family therapy aims to help troubled families by improving communication and relations among family members. • Self-help groups are composed of people who share the same problems, such as overeating, drug addiction, or compulsive gambling.

21. Encounter groups differ from these other kinds of groups. They are composed of strangers who do not necessarily share a common problem. In fact, encounter group members do not necessarily have psychological problems at all. Encounter groups are sometimes made up of people who simply desire emotional growth.

22. Encounter groups promote emotional growth by helping group members become more aware of their own feelings and the feelings of others. Under the guidance of a leader, group members share their feelings through role-playing and other group techniques.