psychotherapy
the treatment of mental or emotional problems by psychological means
psychodynamic therapy
therapy deriving from the psychoanalytic tradition that views individuals as responding to unconscious forces and childhood experiences, and that seeks to enhance self-insight
humanistic therapy
Treatment focused on increasing awareness of one's self concept.
biomedical therapy
prescribed medications or medical procedures that act directly on the patient's nervous system
insight therapies
a variety of therapies which aim to improve psychological functioning by increasing the client's awareness of underlying motives and defenses
behavior therapy
therapy that applies learning principles to the elimination of unwanted behaviors
systematic desensitization
a technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety
counterconditionting
a behavior therapy procedure that conditions new responses to stimuli that trigger unwanted behaviors; based on classical conditioning.
aversive conditioning
a type of counterconditioning that associates an unpleasant state (such as nausea) with an unwanted behavior (such as drinking alcohol)
token economy
an operant conditioning procedure in which people earn a token of some sort for exhibiting a desired behavior and can later exchange the tokens for various privileges or treats.
virtual reality exposure therapy
an anxiety treatment that progressively exposes people to simulations of their greatest fears, such as airplane flying, spiders, or public speaking
cognitive therapy
therapy that teaches people new, more adaptive ways of thinking and acting; based on the assumption that thoughts intervene between events and our emotional reactions
family therapy
therapy that treats the family as a system. Views an individual's unwanted behaviors as influenced by, or directed at, other family members
placebo effect
experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behavior caused by the administration of an inert substance or condition, which is assumed to be an active agent
ECT
the administration of a strong electric current that passes through the brain to induce convulsions and coma
EMDR
New treatment for PTSD, client imagines the traumatic event and processes it in a non-threatening manner., while peole imagined traumatic scence, shapiro triggered eye movements by waving her finger in front of their eyes, supposedly enabling them to unlo
transference
the process whereby emotions are passed on or displaced from one person to another
light exposure therapy
Treats seasonal affective disorder (SAD); scientifically proven to be effective, exposure to daily doses of intense light. Increases activity in the adrenal gland and the superchiasmatic nucleus.
psychopharmacology
the study of the effects of drugs on mind and behavior
the therapeutic alliance
the emotional bond between therapist and client
psychiatrist
a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders; can prescribe medication
clinical social worker
a licensed, certified mental health professional with a master's degree in social work
psychosurgery
brain surgery on human patients intended to relieve severe and otherwise intractable mental or behavioral problems
rTMS
the application of repeated pulses of magnetic energy to the brain; used to stimulate or suppress brain activity
deep brain stimulation
a treatment procedure for depression in which a pacemaker powers electrodes that have been implanted in Brodmann Area 25, thus stimulating that brain area
unconditional positive regard
according to Rogers, an attitude of total acceptance toward another person
preventative mental health
Works to lessen psychological disorders by reducing child abuse and illiteracy in society.