Clinical psychology in 2015 represents the classic laymen’s idea of a psychologist: a patient comes to therapy to discuss their problems with a trained professional, the therapist ‘gives advice’, schedules a follow-up appointment, and the meeting is adjourned. While the general public certainly can make inaccurate conclusions in concern to the actual practice of therapy, the above statement is more or less accurate in describing the methods of many clinical psychologists of today. Therapy is designed to treat a client, meaning personal growth is the goal of the therapy overall. Clinicians go through extensive education, training, and licensure to ensure they are both qualified and highly capable of working with people and helping them to …show more content…
We now perform research to enhance the quality of therapy. With each experiment we conduct, we find out a little more about the human psyche, and enhance our effectiveness in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders that may have previously been debilitating. The ethical code for psychologists has also grown extensively, ensuring we do not harm patients psychologically or psychically, and ensuring that clinicians are working toward progress and toward wellness with their …show more content…
We may have learned a great deal from past mistakes, but we still have a great deal of research to complete in order to further increase the effectiveness of various therapies. Psychologists now recognize that there are numerous disorders and that each may require a completely separate type of therapy. This realization has resulted in numerous specialties and areas of focus. Indeed the term ‘clinical psychology’ is now too simple and overgeneralizing. Therapists may specialize in Humanistic therapy, a type of therapy centered on the client reaching self-actualization. Another therapist might specialize in Cognitive Behavioral therapy, where they might encourage a client to dissect thoughts and feelings with the intent of changing behavior. We are at an exciting time in Clinical Psychology because we have so many resources: we can analyze our past, recognizing the heritage of clinical practice, while simultaneously recognizing new therapeutic techniques and new specialties. In the end, as long as practitioners continue to improve the experience of the client, this forward movement will strengthen our practice, and in turn, strengthen society as a
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy appears to be a new treatment, although its roots can be traced to Albert Ellis’s Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy, published in 1962. Cognitive therapy assumes that thoughts precede actions and false self-beliefs cause negative emotions. It is now known that most depression treatments have cognitive components to them, whether they are recognized or not. In the 1970’s many psychologists began using cognitive components to describe depression. From there, they developed cognitive forms to treat depression with impressive results (Franklin, 2003).
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form a therapy that is short term, problem focused, cost effective, and can be provided to a broad range of disorders and is based on evidence based practices, in fact it is has the most substantial evidence based of all psychosocial therapies (Craske, 2017, p.3). Evidence based practice are strategies that have been proven to be effective through research and science. One goal of CBT is to decrease symptoms and improve the quality of life by replacing maladaptive behaviors, emotions and cognitive responses with adaptive responses (Craske, 2017, p.24). The behavioral intervention goal is to decrease maladaptive behavior and increase adaptive behavior. The goal of cognitive intervention is to modify maladaptive cognitions, self-statements or beliefs. CBT grew out of behavioral therapy and the social learning theory (Dobson, 2012, p.9). It wasn’t until the 1950s that CBT started to swarm the psychology field. Due to nonscientific psychoanalytic approaches, there was a need for a better form of intervention which ensued to behavioral therapy (Craske, 2017, p.9). Behavioral therapy included two types of principles classical and instrumental. Classical conditioning is based on response behavior and instrumental conditioning is more voluntary behavior (Craske, 2017, p.10). Although there was improvement in treatment, clinicians were still dissatisfied
Lazarus, A. A. (2005). Is there still a need for psychotherapy integration? Current Psychology , 24 (3), 149-152.
The Psychodynamic Theory has not proven itself to be very effective. It helps people more when it is paired with other approaches, and is now the starting point, or basis, in other types of therapy (Comer, 2011).
Probst (2015) conducted a study on how personal clinician therapy may enhance the therapist’s ability to create and maintain a strong clinician-client relationship. Upon review of Barbara Probst’s article, the author agrees that the integration of personal clinician therapy into the repertoire of extensive practitioner training is essential and desirable (2015). This opinion is in correlation to Freud’s position that to
The field of psychology is a discipline, originated from many branches of science. It has applications from within a complete scope of avenues, from psychotherapy to professional decision-making. The flexibility and versatility of this field reflects its importance and demands in-depth analysis. Psychology was a division of philosophy until it developed independent scientific disciplines. The history of psychology was a scholarly study of the mind and behavior that dates back to the beginning of civilization. There are important details from previous theory psychologist, research have contributed to behaviorism approaches and have contributed towards specific current behavioral practices. Contemporary behavior therapy began to emerge into distinct practical and core learning theories concerning the needs and knowledge engaging cultural and professional differences.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is based on the concept that behavior change may be achieved through altering cognitive processes. The assumption underlying the cognitively based therapeutic techniques is that maladaptive cognitive processes lead to maladaptive behaviors and changing these processes can lead to behavior modification. According to Mahoney (1995), an individual's cognitions are viewed as covert behaviors, subject to the same laws of learning as overt behaviors. Since its inception, cognitive-behavior modification has attempted to integrate the clinical concerns of psychodynamic psychotherapists with the technology of behavior therapists (Mahoney, 1995). Cognitive-behaviorists have demonstrated an interrelationship among cognitive processes, environmental events, and behavior, which is conveyed in the context of one's social behavior. Psychotherapists in North America endorse cognitive-behavioral interventions as the second most widely used treatment approach (i.e., with an eclectic approach being endorsed as first) (Bongar & Buetler, 1995).
Clinical psychologists can treat a wide range of patients, from mental disorders to emotional problems. To get an easier and simpler idea of what a clinical psychologist does, Ferguson's Career Guidance Center's definition gives a good picture of a clinical psychologist’s job description, “Clinical psychologists concern themselves with people's mental and emotional disorders. They assess and treat problems ranging from normal psychological crises, such as adolescent rebellion or middle-age loss of self-esteem, to extreme conditions, such as severe depression and schizophrenia.”According to Careers in Psychology, a clinical psychologist has three main jobs, to assess the patient, diagnose disorders, and recommend a possible treatment. When a clinical psychologist assesses a patient it usually involv...
Modern CBT has been influenced by two major therapeutic approaches: firstly, ‘Behaviour Therapy’ as developed by Wolpe and others in 1950s and 1960s; and secondly, ‘Cognitive Therapy’ which was developed by A.T. Beck in the 1960s. As defined by Emery & Tracy (1987), CBT is “a series of strategies that relieve psychological suffering by correcting distorted and maladaptive thinking. The therapy is based on a theory of psychopathology that recognises the reciprocal interrelationship among the cognitive, behavioural, somatic and emotional systems”. Although CBT is often referred to as a unitary treatment, it is actually a diverse collection of complex and subtle interventions that must each be mastered and understood from the social learning perspective (Reinecke, Dattilio, & Freeman, 2003).
I decided early on that I would allow myself to experience these feelings fully, because in order to be a good therapist, I need to be able to understand how the client might be feeling. I am still just beginning this journey, but I have every intention of becoming more open to embracing the new awareness that I have found in this class. This paper describing my philosophy will incorporate all three of these systems of psychotherapy in what I believe to be a clear and cohesive manner.
Mental disorders are dismissed by people today because they are internal. When a person has a cold they cough, when a person has sunburn they turn red or peel, but when a person has a mental disorder they… and that’s where the debate begins. Do mental disorders truly exist? What are the causes? As a result of mental disorders some people exhibit a change in behavior or do things outside of what is status quo. That leads me to my topic - the psychoanalytic approach vs. the humanistic approach. One supports and provides reasoning for mental disorders and specific behavior, while the other states that behavior is based off of personal decisions. Although both the psychoanalytic and the humanistic approaches are well developed theories it is conclusive that the psychoanalytic approach is more useful and instrumental in treating mental disorders.
During therapy the importance of subjective experiences, the existence of the ability of personal growth and the importance of goal-directed meanings in life are emphasised (Frankl, 1959). Furthermore, the importance of the proper circumstances for the growth of self-concept (Rogers, 1959), the necessity of self-actualization and recognition of one's potential, accentuation of joy as part of life and authenticity are stimulated (Cave, 1999). The client is motivated to make one's own decisions without the intervention of the therapy leader. Focus is placed on present rather than on past and the therapist is more like an active listener. Roger's therapy was argued (Truax, 1996) that it is a simple form of behaviour therapy as it is using positive reinforcement. The humanistic therapy also incorporates other used techniques, such the already discussed Roger's person-centered therapy, Berne's (1964) transactional analysis, Perl's (1969) gestalt therapy, conjoint therapy, milieu therapy (Jones, 1953). These approaches are most useful with specific individuals, not with patients with particular disorders. Patients do acquire benefits from humanistic therapy approaches, however difficulty arises from the point of view whether science can adequately measure what the therapist finds meaningful about the changes they perceive during therapy (Yalom, 1980). The
Through the psychoanalytic therapeutic approach, the counselor analyses the client and the occurring problem as well as teach the client how to comprehend the behavior and how it is related to the client’s past experiences. Focusing on the Adlerian approach, the counselor’s role becomes to create mutual trust and respect as well as identifying previous mistaken goals as well as teaching and encouraging the client to a brighter future. The client-therapist relationship becomes mutual towards determining goals and is built on equality. The role of the counselor with the focus of CBT is as a teacher. The counselor teaches the client to change his or her cognition to create a better cognitive schema and a more positive view in the future. However, the relationship is collaborative, meaning that the counselor helps the client identifying the problem and how to solve it. Lastly, the postmodern approaches, creates a collaborative partnership. However, the client-therapist relationship is different in the postmodern approaches compared to psychoanalytic therapy, Adlerian therapy, and CBT, where it is a teaching environment, with the counselor being the expert. In the postmodern approaches, the client is the expert on his or her life and takes control over developing a future-oriented goal with assistance from the counselor. Creating an
...ion, assessment, and treatment .Using research helps to understand human behavior but also to develop assessment techniques and treatment strategies. “Psychologists are not just practitioners who conduct psychotherapy but investigators who conduct research.” (Plante, 2005)
Many associate psychology with sitting in a chair in a small office as someone taking notes, asking how you feel about a certain event or feeling, analyzing your deepest secrets and memories. However, it branches off into many other fields. A clinical psychologist’s main job is “to reduce the distress and improve the psychological wellbeing of clients” (Bond). This can include anything from depression, eating disorders, and addiction, to mental illness, family and personal relationships, and learning disabilities (Bond). A clinical psychologist usually will choose to have an emphasis in a certain field such as children and learning disabilities and work in schools or social work facilities, or mental illness and work in a hospital (Bond). According to Vicki Cohen, people “typically are referred or come to therapy because they have a symptom”. These are defined by emotional, social, and or physiological.