Chat with AIExam 16: B: Psychological and Biological Treatments
Describe the approach to therapy that Albert Ellis used,including his A-B-C-D-Es of therapy.
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VerifiedAnswers will vary but should contain the following information for full credit.
--Beginning in the mid-1950s,pioneering therapist Albert Ellis (Ellis,1958,1962)advocated rational emotive therapy (RET),more recently renamed rational emotive behavioural therapy (REBT).In many respects,REBT is a prime example of a cognitive-behavioural approach.It's cognitive in its emphasis on changing how we think (that's the "cognitive" part),but it also focuses on changing how we act (that's the "behavioural" part).
--Ellis argued that we respond to an unpleasant activating (internal or external)event (A)with a range of emotional and behavioural consequences (C).As we all know,people often respond very differently to the same objective event;some students respond to an A- in a course by celebrating,whereas others respond by berating themselves for not getting an A.The crucial differences in how we respond to the same objective events stem largely from differences in (B)-our belief systems.The ABCs Ellis identified lie at the heart of most,if not all,cognitive-behaviour therapies.
--Some beliefs are rational: They're flexible,logical,and promote self-acceptance.In contrast,irrational beliefs are associated with unrealistic demands about the self ("I must be perfect"),other people ("I must become worried about other people's problems"),and life conditions ("I must be worried about things I can't control").Ellis also maintained that psychologically unhealthy people frequently "awfulize," that is,engage in catastrophic thinking about their problems ("If I don't get this job,it would be the worst thing that ever happened to me").According to Ellis,our vulnerability to psychological disturbance is a product of the frequency and strength of our irrational beliefs.
--To his ABC scheme,Ellis added a (D)and an (E)component to describe how therapists treat patients.REBT therapists encourage patients to actively dispute (D)their irrational beliefs and adopt more effective (E)and rational beliefs to increase adaptive responses.To modify patients' irrational beliefs,the therapist actively tries to encourage and persuade them to rethink their assumptions and personal philosophy.REBT therapists may assign "homework" designed to falsify clients' maladaptive beliefs.
The goal of psychoanalytic therapy is to make the unconscious conscious.What are the six primary approaches used to accomplish this goal?
(77) VerifiedAnswers will vary but should contain the following information for full credit.
(1)Free association.As patients lie on the couch in a comfortable,relaxed position,therapists instruct them to say whatever thoughts come to mind,no matter how meaningless or nonsensical they might seem.This process is called free association because patients are permitted to express themselves without censorship of any sort.
(2)Interpretation.From the patient's string of free associations,analysts form hypotheses regarding the origin of the patient's difficulties and share them with him or her as rapport develops.Therapists also formulate interpretations-that is,explanations-of the unconscious bases of a patient's dreams,emotions,and behaviours.They point out the supposedly disguised expression of a repressed idea,impulse,or wish.If the therapist offers the interpretation before the patient is ready to accept it,psychoanalytics maintain anxiety may derail the flow of new associations.
(3)Dream analysis.According to Freud,dreams express unconscious themes that influence the patient's conscious life.The therapist's task is to interpret the relation of the dream to the patient's daytime experience and the dream's symbolic significance.In Chapter 5,we discussed the distinction between a dream's manifest (observable)and latent (hidden)content.Thus,the therapist might interpret the appearance of an ogre in a dream-the manifest content-as representing a hated and feared parent-the latent content.
(4)Resistance.As treatment progresses and people become painfully aware of previously unconscious aspects of themselves,they often experience resistance,that is,they try to avoid further confrontation.Resistance helps patients sidestep the anxiety brought about by uncovering previously repressed thoughts,emotions,and impulses.Patients express resistance in many ways,including skipping therapy sessions or drawing a blank when the therapist asks a question about painful moments in their past,but all forms of resistance stall their progress.To minimise resistance,psychoanalysts attempt to make patients aware they're unconsciously obstructing therapeutic efforts and make it clear exactly how and what they're resisting (Anderson & Stewart,1983;Reich,1949).
(5)Transference.As analysis continues,patients begin to experience transference: They project intense,unrealistic feelings and expectations from their past onto the therapist.The ambiguous figure of the analyst supposedly becomes the focus of emotions once directed at significant persons from the patient's childhood.Freud believed that transference provides a vehicle for patients to understand their irrational expectations and demands of others,including the therapist.
(6)Working through.In the final stage of psychoanalysis,therapists help patients work through,or process,their problems.The insight gained in treatment is a helpful starting point,but it's not sufficient.As a consequence,therapists must repeatedly address conflicts and resistance to achieving healthy behaviour patterns and help patients to confront old and ineffective coping responses as they reemerge in everyday life.
Devon is entering psychotherapy and is anxious about the experience.One particular worry he has is that he might end up with a therapist who uses ineffective techniques.How would you advise him on what to look for during his first few sessions?
(95) VerifiedAnswers will vary but should contain at least two of the following ideas from each section with appropriate supportive discussion.
Effective psychotherapists will:
--establish a positive working relationship with patient/client.
--select important topics to focus on during sessions.
--match the treatment to the characteristics of the patient/client.
--be warm,encouraging,and respectful toward the patient/client.
--listen carefully and work to understand patient/client.
--monitor patient/client changes.
Ineffective psychotherapists will:
--be defensive when questioned or challenged by a patient/client.
--only use one "method" to treat all patients/clients.
--lack clear focus during sessions and fail to address patient/client concerns.
--not discuss evidence for effectiveness or efficacy of what he or she is doing.
--not establish clear boundaries in therapeutic relationship.
--break confidentiality of treatment when discussing case with other professionals or nonprofessionals.
Compare and contrast the following forms of psychotherapy: psychoanalysis,humanistic,and behavioural.
(75) Discuss three major areas of concern about the effectiveness of drug treatments.
(72) Discuss how the critical thinker would use what he or she knows to help distinguish between effective and ineffective therapies so that he or she is not fooled into using an ineffective therapy.
(83) What is person-centred therapy? What three conditions must be satisfied by the therapist to ensure a positive outcome?
(81) Describe both systematic desensitisation and flooding,including how these are different with respect to a patient's anxiety hierarchy.
(87) Identify and discuss the similarities and differences between the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)and controlled drinking approaches to treating alcoholism.
(83) There are many therapies that exist that are endorsed by some therapists,celebrities,and patients,but may be ineffective (e.g. ,dolphin therapy,laughter therapy,SPARX,direct analysis).What are the five reasons that can help us to understand why these therapies sometimes gain a dedicated public following?
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