Approaches to Psycho Therapy

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Approaches to Psychotherapy Shannon Brennan PSY 210 December 16, 2010 Ms. Alecia Nelson There is a variety of approaches to treat psychological disorders. They all include four essential characteristics such as systematic interaction between a client and a therapist, based on psychological theory and research, they influence a client’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and they are used to treat disorders, adjustment problems, and to foster personal growth. The approaches include biomedical, psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, behavioral, and cognitive approaches. Psychodynamic approaches deal with helping people develop insight into the struggles occurring within the psyche between mental states, where the root of psychological problems begin like anxiety and depression. (Nevid & Rathus. (2005). P.296) Sigmund Freud used several traditional methods of psychoanalysis such as free association, transference, and dream analysis to treat his clients. Humanistic-existential therapy is another approach used to treat psychological problems. This therapy focuses primarily on what patients are going through presently. Psychologists that use this approach to therapy use a variety of different treatments such as client-centered therapy, and Gestalt therapy. These psychologists do not dismiss a client’s past experiences and the role they may play in the psychological disorder, yet they believe that each person is aware of his or her own decisions and the repercussions from them. Another form of therapy is called behavioral therapy. Therapists that practice this approach to therapy focus on a patient’s behavior. This therapy applies principles of learning to help people make desired behavioral changes. (Nevid & Rathus. (2005). P.304) These therapists use learning-based techniques such as fear-reduction like flooding, gradual exposure, systematic

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