9.00 Experiment

Notes From Psychotherapy

http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/22/e22expand.html

·      Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychological counselors apply various therapies depending on mental disorders

·      Two different groups of therapy: biomedical and psychotherapy

·      Biomedical therapists, like psychiatrists, believe mental disorders are a result of biochemical disturbances

·      Psychosurgery may be necessary for severe schizophrenics

·      Psychosurgery has been known to cause changes in memory

·      ECT or shock therapy has been known as the best fix for depression for people who cannot take medication

·      Lithium, an antipsychotic drug, has been known to reduce mood swings

·      Valium, the most popular tranquilizer, is also an addictive. This has been harmful for many people

·      Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia can be a result of genetics

·      There are over 250 varieties of psychotherapies

·      Psychodynamic therapy sees all behavior as driven by internal forces

·      Psychodynamic therapists try to help patients see hidden motivations

·      Psychotherapists must be good listeners and make the patients feel wanted; it is basically a human relationship according to Dr. Hans Strupp

·      Sigmund Freud developed the psychodynamic therapy in Vienna

·      According to Freud, most of the unconscious thoughts are threatening to the self-esteem

·      Emphasis is on the development of the ego in psychodynamic perspective

·      One of the basic techniques of psychoanalysis is free association

·      In free association, patients discuss whatever comes to their mind

·      The therapist interprets the material provided by the patient and relays the information to the patient

·      Psychoanalysis is a therapy that is beginning to die out

·      Behavior therapists want to change the behavior of the client to make them function more correctly

·      Behaviorists use classical and operant conditioning to change behaviors

·      Cognitive therapy, developed in the 1960’s, tries to teach the client to get rid of false beliefs and feelings of failure

·      Humanistic therapists focus on the normal person seeking greater fulfillment

·      Humanist therapies emphasize the psychological growth of the human person

·      This therapy has been expanded for families and groups