Kinds of Psychotherapy

Part 1

Objectives Summarize therapy

• Describe what a psychotherapist does• What is psychoanalysis and analyze some

techniques associated with it• Describe the psychodynamic theory and

analyze some techniques associated with it• List the four behavior therapy Methods

techniques

Kinds of Psychotherapy

• Psychotherapists want help clients:• Think about their lives • Find solutions to problems that plague them• Philosophy and methods of different types of

psychotherapy vary

Psychodynamic Therapy • Psychoanalysis is a method of “depth”

psychotherapy developed by Sigmund Freud, emphasizing the exploration of unconscious motives and conflicts

• “talking cure” • Analysis of dreams, memories

Technique of Psychoanalysis• Free association in psychodynamic therapies,

the process of saying freely whatever comes to mind in connection with dreams, memories, fantasies, or conflicts

• Person talking on couch; therapists says very little

• No rush to solve problems• Come in for anxiety or headaches, may take

years to get to symptoms; because just tip of “iceberg”

Psychodynamic therapyPsychoanalysisA method of psychotherapy developed by Freud, emphasizes the exploration of unconscious motives and conflicts

Free associationIn psychoanalysis, a method of uncovering unconscious conflicts by saying freely whatever comes to mind

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Freud's method= Modern day

• Psychodynamic therapy- share goal of exploring the unconscious dynamics of personality BUT different than Freudian analysis in different ways

• Deeper therapies

Psychodynamic therapyOther psychodynamic therapies also explore unconscious dynamics, but differ from Freudian analysis.

TransferenceIn psychodynamic therapies, a critical step in which the client transfers unconscious emotions or reactions, such as conflicts with parents, onto the therapist

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Psychotherapy techniques

• transference- client transfers (displacement), emotional elements of his or her life (usually feelings about one’s parents), outward to the analyst

• Ever immediately disliked someone, then realized person was just like relative?

• Similar to transference• Self defeating habits

Behavior and Cognitive Therapy

• Not worried about past, parents, unconscious anxieties

• Want to know reinforcers in environment• Want to understand thought process, beliefs• Behavior therapy- applies classical and

operant conditioning • 4 METHODS

Behavior therapy

A form of therapy that applies classical and operant conditioning to help people change own defeating or problematic behaviors

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Method # 1 Exposure

• Graduated exposure in behavior therapy, a method in which a person suffering from an anxiety disorder, such as a phobia or panic attacks, is gradually confronted with the feared object or situation until the anxiety subsides

• For example: Air travel. Drive by airport, go into terminal, get on plane, all the time seeing a psychotherapist.

Graduated exposureIn behavior therapy, a method in which a person suffering from an anxiety disorder, such as a phobia, is gradually taken into the feared situation or exposed to a traumatic memory, until the anxiety subsides

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Exposure continued

• Flooding in behavior therapy, a form of exposure treatment in which the client is taken directly into the feared situation until his or her panic subsides

• Agoraphobia= take to a dept. store, subway• Different than psychodynamic would analyze

why afraid but Behavior takes right to spot

FloodingA technique whereby a person suffering from an anxiety disorder, such as a phobia, is taken directly into the feared situation until the anxiety subsides

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Method #2:Systematic desensitization

• Step by step process, breaking down client’s conditioned associations

• Older technique, 1958• Based on counter conditioning – rabbit and ice cream• Usually use relaxation= Pair relaxation with feared

stimuli• For example: Spiders- read charlottes web, look at

pics. of cute spiders, look at pics. of tarantulas, observe real spider, each step more relaxed

Systematic desensitization

A step-by-step process of desensitizing a client to a feared object or experience

Based on counter conditioning

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Method #3 Behavioral self monitoring 2 examples

• Identify reinforcers that are supporting your unwanted habits= For Example -attention from others, temporary relief from tension or unhappiness, money or free meal (tangible)

• Method= keep record of behavior• Overeater does not realize how much they eat• eat when relieving stress or tension. Chart it • Mom says kid “always” throws temper tantrums- behavior

record will show who, when, where, tantrums occurred • Then treatment program designed – find way to reduce

stress- exercise:

Behavioral self-monitoring

A method of keeping careful data on the frequency and consequences of a behavior to be changed

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Method #4 Skills training

• Don’t be shy? (but can’t make small talk)• Don’t yell (but can’t express themselves)• Only problems need solutions• Operant techniques- role playing, modeling• Shy -learn to focus on other people• Anger management= parents classes on how

to discipline children

Skills training

An effort to teach a client skills or new more constructive behaviors to replace self-defeating ones

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Summary

1. Psychoanalysis2. Psychodynamic3. Behavior