Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
individual and group therapy, helping the patient work toward improving interpersonal
effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance skills.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Psychoanalysis is based on the principles of Freudian and neo-Freudian personality theories. The goal is to explore the
unconscious dynamics of personality. - Humanist therapy, derived from the personality theory of Carl Rogers, is based on the idea that people experience
psychological problems when they are burdened by limits and expectations placed on them by themselves and others.
Its focus is on helping people reach their life goals. - Behavior therapy applies the principles of classical and operant conditioning, as well as observational learning, to the
elimination of maladaptive behaviors and their replacement with more adaptive responses. - Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck developed cognitive-based therapies to help clients stop negative thoughts and replace
them with more objective thoughts. - Eclectic therapy is the most common approach to treatment. In eclectic therapy, the therapist uses whatever
treatment approaches seem most likely to be effective for the client.
EXERCISES AND CRITICAL THINKING
- Imagine that your friend has been feeling depressed for several months but refuses to consider therapy as an option.
What might you tell her that might help her feel more comfortable about seeking treatment? - Imagine that you have developed a debilitating fear of bees after recently being attacked by a swarm of them. What
type of therapy do you think would be best for your disorder? - Imagine that your friend has a serious drug abuse problem. Based on what you’ve learned in this section, what
treatment options would you explore in your attempt to provide him with the best help available? Which combination
of therapies might work best?
[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.).
Washington, DC: Author.
[2] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). Mental health: A report of the surgeon general. Washington, DC:
U.S. Government Printing Office.
[3] American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. Retrieved
from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx?item=7#402