Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or Psychological therapy, is an interaction between a trained therapist & someone who is seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal _growth
• There are around 250 types of different of psychotherapy each centers on one or more of four major approaches:
Four Major Types of Psychotherapy
1. Psychoanalytic
2. Humanistic
3. Behavioral
4. Cognitive
Eclectic Approach
Eclectic approach is an approach to psychotherapy that, depending on the person’s problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy (listed above)
• Uses whatever therapy works best for the problem the person has.
Psychoanalysis assumption
psychological problems are the result of repressed conflicts & impulses from childhood
• The therapist must bring the repressed problems into the Concious mind to help patients have an insight about the original cause of the problem
Freud liked to compare Personality to an ice berg
composed of three primary elements:
1. pleasure-seeking id
2. reality-oriented ego
3. Superego
Psychoanalytic Method: Free Association
Freudian technique of discovering the unconscious mind - where the patient relaxes & Says whatever comes to mind no matter how trivial or embarrassing
• That may sound easy, but what if you were the patient & you thought of something embarrassing?
• Would you hesitake before talking about it?
Would you leave something out of your story, change the subject, or joke your
way out of the situation?
• A psychoanalyst would probably classify all of these free association interpretations as resistance
Resistance (dissociation)
Resistance is in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
• It is the analyst’s job to make patients aware of these sensitive areas & to offer interperations
Interpretation
Interpretation in psychoanalysis, is the analyst’s noting of ideas on the meaning behind
dreams, resistances, & other significant behaviors to promote insight
• The analyst’s ideas of the meaning behind the patient’s dreams (latent
content),
resistance, & other behaviors
• Latent content of a dream is the hidden
_psychological meaning of the dream.
This content appears in disguise symbolically & contains things that are hidden from conscious awareness, often because it may be upsetting _or traumatic
Psychotherapy
or Psychological therapy, is an interaction between a trained therapist & someone who is seeking to overcome psychological difficulties or achieve personal growth
• There are around 250 types of different of psychotherapy each centers on one or more of four major approaches:
Four Major Types of Psychotherapy
1. Psychoanalytic
2. Humanistic
3. Behavioral
4. Cognitive
Depending on the person’s problems, a therapist may use techniques from various forms of therapy in an eclectic approach.
Eclectic approach
Eclectic approach is an approach to psychotherapy that, depending on the person’s problems, uses techniques from various forms of therapy (listed above)
• Uses whatever therapy works best for the problem the person has.
Psychoanalysis assumptions
psychological problems are the result of repressed conflicts & impulses from childhood
• The therapist must bring the repressed problems into the concious mind to help patients have an insight about the original cause of the problem
• Freud thought only a small part of the mind or personality, the thoughts & feelings we attend to was ‘visible’
• Freud represented the part of the mind we’re aware of using a “tip of the iceberg” comparison.
Freud liked to compare personality to an ice berg composed of three primary elements:
1. pleasure-seeking_id
2. reality-oriented ego
3. Superego
Psychoanalytic Method: Free association
• Freudian technique of discovering the unconscious mind where the patient relaxes & says whatever comes to mind—no matter how trivial or embarrassing
• That may sound easy, but what if you were the patient & you thought of something embarrassing?
• Would you hesitake before talking about it?
• Would you leave something out of your story, change the subject, or joke your way out of the situation?
• A psychoanalyst would probably classify all of these free association interpretations and resistance
Resistance(disassociation)
Resistance is in psychoanalysis, the blocking from consciousness of anxiety-laden material
• It is the analyst’s job to make patients aware of these ens: live areas & to offer interpertations
Interpretation
Interpretation in psychoanalysis, is the analyst’s noting of ideas on the meaning behind
dreams, resistances, & other significant behaviors to promote insight
• The analyst’s ideas of the meaning behind the patient’s dreams (latent content), resistance, & other behaviors
Transference
Transference in psychoanalysis, is the patients transfer ofstrong entions (such as love or hatred) linked with other relationships to the analyst
• Freud felt that patients could gain insight
into current & past relationships by exploring
these transferred feelings for their analyst & dealing with the long repressed issues they
represent.
Problems with psychoanalysis
- Can important memories be repressed?
• many psychologists doubt that we repress important memories. This topic has sparked intense debate - Psychoanalysis takes along
- time & is very costly - Psychoanalysis does not allow for differing interpretations
Psychoanalytic influence
Few therapists follow a strict Freudian therapy
• however, Freud did heavily influence other types of therapy (interpersonal therapy)
• Modern approach is called the psychodynamic perspective therapy
Psychodynamic apporach
• A more modern view that retains some aspects of Freudian therapy but rejects other aspects
Retains the importance of the unconcious
mind
Less emphasis on unresolved childhood conflicts
interpersonal psychotherapy
• emphasis on current life events rather than the past
• asks how current relationships can be mended & socials skills improved
Humanistic Therapies
To a humanistic therapist, the potential for self -fulfillment already exists in each of us.
Humanistic therapy aims to promote self-fulfillment by increasing self-acceptance & self-awareness
The humanistic approach to therapy differs from the psychoanalytic approach by:
• fostering growth instead of relieving illness
• thus, these therapists refer to people in therapy as “clients,” not “patients.”
• focusing on the present & future instead of the past.
• emphasizing concious thoughts instead of unconscious thoughts
Non-directive therapy
Therapists listens without interpreting & does not direct the client to any particular insight
Client-centered therapy
is a humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, in which the humanistic therapist uses techniques such as:
active listening within a genuine, accepting empathetic environment to facilitate to the client’s growth
Humanistic psychologist: Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers was a humanistic psychologist who developed client-centered therapy and in order to foster human growth, he stressed the importance of:
1. Acceptance
2. Genuineness
3. Empathy
Rogers viewed people much like seeds that thrive when they have the right mixture of conditions.
• Just as seeds flourish when given water, soil, and sun, Rogers said, people will flourish
given acceptance, genuineness, and empathy.
Acceptance
being seen with Unconditional Positive Regard
Unconditioned positive regard, according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person, regardless of circumstances.
• Acknowledging feelings, even problems, without passing judgement; honoring, not devaluing.
Self Acceptance is not the end; it then allows us to move on from defending our own needs to loving and caring for others.
Genuineness
openness & self-disclosure
-freely expressing one’s feelings
• Being transparent and self-disclosing
- Being honest & direct
- Dropping your Farade
Empathy
Being listened to & understood by:
sharing thoughts and understanding
• Listening and reflecting your understanding of the other person’s feelings
• showing your efforts to understand
• NOT Sympathy: - people need to be heard, not to be pitie
