herself harshly, and does not participate in
satisfying interpersonal relationships.- Founders of existentialism include Albert
Ellis (rational emotive therapy), Viktor
Frankl (logotherapy), Frederick Perls
(gestalt therapy), and William Glasser
(reality therapy). - All existential therapies have the goals of re-
turning the person to an authentic sense of
self through emphasizing personal responsi-
bility for oneself and one’s feelings, behavior,
and choices. - A crisis is a turning point in an individual’s
life that produces an overwhelming response.
Crises may be maturational, situational, or
adventitious. Effective crisis intervention in-
cludes assessment of the person in crisis,
promotion of problem-solving, and provision
of empathetic understanding. - Cognitive therapy is based on the premise
that how a person thinks about or interprets
life experiences determines how he or she
will feel or behave. It seeks to help the per-
son change how he or she thinks about
things to bring about an improvement in
mood and behavior. - Treatment for mental disorders and emotional
problems can include one or more of the fol-
lowing: individual psychotherapy, group
psychotherapy, family therapy, family educa-
tion, psychiatric rehabilitation, self-help
groups, support groups, education groups, and
other psychosocial interventions such as set-
ting limits or giving positive feedback. - An understanding of psychosocial theories
and treatment modalities can help the nurse
select appropriate and effective intervention
strategies to use with clients.
For further learning, visit http://connection.lww.com.
REFERENCES
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Sullivan, H. S. (1953). The interpersonal theory of psychi-
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Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group
psychotherapy.New York: Basic Books.ADDITIONAL READINGS
Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional
disorders.New York: The New American Library, Inc.
Berne, E. (1964). Games people play.New York: Grove
Press.
Caplan, G. (1964). Principles of preventive psychiatry.
New York: Basic Books.
Crain, W. C. (1980). Theories of development: Concepts and
application.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Frankl, V. E. (1959). Man’s search for meaning: An intro-
duction to logotherapy.New York: The Beacon Press.
Glasser, W. (1965). Reality therapy: A new approach to
psychiatry.New York: Harper & Row.
Miller, P. H. (1983). Theories of developmental psychol-
ogy.San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Co.
Millon, T. (Ed.). (1967). Theories of psychopathology.
Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
Perls, F. S., Hefferline, R. F., & Goodman, P. (1951).
Gestalt therapy: Excitement and growth in the human
personality.New York: Dell Publishing Co., Inc.
Schultz, J. M., & Videbeck, S. L. (2002). Lippincott’s
manual of psychiatric nursing care plan(6th ed.).
Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins.
Sugarman, L. (1986). Life-span development: Concepts,
theories and interventions.London: Methuen &
Co., Ltd.
Szasz, T. (1961). The myth of mental illness.New York:
Hoeber-Harper.
Viscott, D. (1996). Emotional resilience: Simple truths for
dealing with the unfinished business of your past.
New York: Harmony Books.68 Unit 1 CURRENTTHEORIES ANDPRACTICE