General Psychology
Therapy

(A)    Introduction

• The application of psychological knowledge in the treatment of mental disorders.  Practitioners include Psychiatrists (MD), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (PhD, EdD, PsyD), Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Marriage and Family Therapists or Counselors (Masters Degree).

(B)    Biological Approaches to Therapy

• Electro-convulsive Therapy (ECT)

  • limited help for severely depressed

•  Psychosurgery

  • prefrontal lobotomy for severe aggression

•  Psychoactive Drugs (Neuroleptics)

  • Major tranquilizers (anti-psychotic) e.g., chlorpromazine-thorazine

  • Minor tranquilizers (anti-anxiety) e.g., valium, xanax

  • Anti-depressants (MAOI, SSRI) e.g., elavil, paxil, prozac

  • Anti-manic (treats bipolar) e.g., lithium

(C)      Psychotherapies

• Psychodynamic

  • Theory: Unconscious, defenses, symptoms of deeper problem

  • Therapy: Free association, Interpretation of transference, dreams, symptoms, and resistance

• Behavior Therapy

  • Theory: Learning theory

  • Therapy: Behavior oriented; relaxation, systematic desensitication, flooding, rehearsal.

• Cognitive Therapy

  • Theory: Cognitions as mediator for emotions and behavior

  • Therapy: Identify and modify dysfunctional thinking; irrational beliefs

• Humanistic Therapy

  • Theory: Humanistic

  • Therapy: Provide core conditions: unconditional positive regard, empathy, congruence, reflect and paraphrase. May include Existential and Transpersonal Therapies.

(D)     Therapy Effectiveness

• Hans Eysenck (1952)

  • Effectiveness of therapy unproven

• Meta-Analysis (1980's)

  • Average person with therapy better off than 75-80% of people with no therapy.

(F)     Ethics

• Confidentiality

• Sexual contact

• Competence