Core Features of Psychotherapy Discussion

Core Features of Psychotherapy Discussion

Core Features of Psychotherapy Discussion

What do psychotherapies have in common? We have sampled only a few of the many therapies in use today. For a summary of major differences among psychotherapies, see ? Table 15.3. To add to your understanding, let’s briefly summarize what all techniques have in common.

Psychotherapies of various types share all or most of the following goals: restoring hope, courage, and optimism; gaining insight; resolving conflicts; improving one’s sense of self; changing unacceptable patterns of behavior; finding purpose; mending interpersonal relations; and learning to approach problems rationally (Frank & Frank, 2004; Seligman, 1998). To accomplish these goals, psychotherapies offer the following:

1. Effective therapy provides a therapeutic alliance, a caring relationship that unites the client and therapist as they work together to solve the client’s problems. The strength of this alliance has a major impact on whether therapy succeeds (Kozart, 2002; Meier et al., 2006). The basis for this relationship is emotional rapport, warmth, friendship, under- standing, acceptance, and empathy.

Core Features of Psychotherapy Discussion

2. Therapy offers a protected setting in which emotional catharsis (release) can take place. Therapy is a sanctuary in which the client is free to express fears, anxieties, and personal secrets without fearing rejection or loss of confidentiality.

3. All therapies to some extent offer an explanation or rationale for the client’s suffering. Additionally, they propose a line of action that will end this suffering.

4. Therapy provides clients with a new perspective about them- selves and their situations and a chance to practice new behaviors (Crencavage & Norcross, 1990; Prochaska & Norcross, 2010). Insights gained during therapy can bring about lasting changes in clients’ lives (Grande et al., 2003).

How Do We Know Therapy Actually Works? Critical Thinking

Why is it risky to believe people who say their therapy was effective? An old joke among doctors is that a cold lasts a week without treatment and seven days with it. Perhaps the same is true of therapy. Some- one who feels better after 6 months of therapy may have experienced a spontaneous remission—they just feel better because so much time has passed. Or perhaps the crisis that triggered the therapy is now nearly for- gotten. Or maybe some sort of therapy placebo effect has occurred. Also, it’s possible that the person has received help from other people, such as family, friends, or clergy.

To find out if therapy works, we could randomly place clients in an experimental group that receives therapy and a control group that does not. When this is done, the control group may show some improvement, even without receiving therapy (Lambert & Ogles, 2002; Schuck, Keijsers, & Rinck, 2011). Thus, we can conclude that the therapy is effective only if people in the experimental group improve more than those in the control group.

But isn’t it unethical to withhold treatment from someone who really needs therapy? That’s right. One way to deal with this is to use a waiting-list control group. In this case, people who are waiting to see a therapist are compared with those who receive therapy. Later, those on the waiting list will eventually also receive therapy.

If we combine the results of many experiments, it becomes clear that therapy is effective (Lipsey & Wilson, 1993). In addition, studies have revealed that some therapies work best for specif ic problems (Bradley et al., 2005; Eddy et al., 2004). For example, behavioral, cognitive, and drug therapies are most helpful in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Core Features of Psychotherapy Discussion.

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Master Therapists

Because therapies have much in common, a majority of psychologists have become eclectic in their work (Kopta et al., 1999). Eclec- tic therapists use whatever methods best fit a particular problem (Norcross, 2005). In addition, some seek to combine the best elements of various therapies to broaden their effectiveness.

What do the most capable therapists have in common? One study of master therapists found that they share several characteristics ( Jennings & Skovholt, 1999). The most effective therapists:

• Are enthusiastic learners • Draw on their experience with similar problems • Value complexity and ambiguity • Are emotionally open • Are mentally healthy and mature • Nurture their own emotional well-being • Realize that their emotional health affects their work • Have strong social skills • Cultivate a working alliance • Expertly use their social skills in therapy Notice that this list also could describe the kind of person most of us would want to talk to when facing a life crisis. But what if some- one else turns to you for help?

Basic Counseling Skills

If you are ever called upon to comfort a person in distress, such as a troubled friend or relative, here are some general helping skills that can be distilled from the various approaches to therapy (Kottler & Shepard, 2011; Sharf, 2012; ? Table 15.4).

Active Listening

People frequently talk “at” each other without really listening. A person with problems needs to be heard. Make a sincere effort to listen to and understand the person. Try to accept the person’s mes- sage without judging it or leaping to conclusions. Let the person know you are listening, through eye contact, posture, your tone of voice, and your replies (Kottler & Shepard, 2011).

Reflect Thoughts and Feelings

One of the best things you can do when offering support to another person is to give feedback by simply restating what is said. This is also a good way to encourage a person to talk