...Existential Psychotherapy is the only branch of psychotherapy that emphasizes on intricate subjective conditions that influence our behavior. Krug, 2009, said that existentialism aims to understand people as spiritual beings in the world who make their physical, psychological, social, and interpersonal reality from their own life experiences. According to him, and other eminent contributors of existentialism, there are four basic dimensions in human life that is responsible for all emotions, and conflicts. They are : Self awareness Freedom and autonomy Making own identity and maintaining social relationships The search for meaning and purpose in life Awareness of death as an inevitable part of human life Anxiety and conflict that appears...
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...Psychotherapies Krystle A McClurg BEH/225 09/11/2015 MELODIE MILLER Psychotherapies Psychotherapy, or "talk therapy", is a way to treat people with a mental disorder by helping them understand their illness. It teaches people strategies and gives them tools to deal with stress and unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. Psychotherapy helps patients manage their symptoms better and function at their best in everyday life. Sometimes psychotherapy alone may be the best treatment for a person, depending on the illness and its severity. Other times, psychotherapy is combined with medications. Therapists work with an individual or families to devise an appropriate treatment plan. (Psychotherapies, n.d.) Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a blend of two therapies: cognitive therapy (CT) and behavioral therapy. CT was developed by psychotherapist Aaron Beck, M.D., in the 1960's. CT focuses on a person's thoughts and beliefs, and how they influence a person's mood and actions, and aims to change a person's thinking to be more adaptive and healthy. Behavioral therapy focuses on a person's actions and aims to change unhealthy behavior patterns. CBT helps a person focus on his or her current problems and how to solve them. Both patient and therapist need to be actively involved in this process. The therapist helps the patient learn how to identify distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns, recognize and change inaccurate beliefs, relate to others in more positive ways, and change...
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...Coping Mechanisms: strategies and outcomes. Coping with Crisis and Overwhelming affect: Employing coping mechanisms in the acute inpatient context. Isabel Clarke Consultant Clinical Psychologist Address for Correspondence: Isabel Clarke, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, AMH Woodhaven, Loperwood, Calmore, Totton SO40 2TA Email: isabel.clarke@hantspt-sw.nhs.uk Website: www.isabelclarke.org Abstract When mental health breaks down, the human being grasps at ways of coping with the crisis. The goal of coping is escape from intolerable affect and the means are familiar as 'symptoms' of mental illness. For example, to shut down physically and cease to compete is depression (Gilbert 1992), and drugs and alcohol provide a straightforward way out. As psychological therapists, our task is to devise, evaluate and, most importantly, persuade the client to adopt alternative, healthier, ways of coping; ways that offer less immediate relief, but which do not trap the person in a diminished quality of life. By explaining breakdown in terms of coping with intolerable affect, this approach, developed and evaluated in an acute hospital setting (Durrant, Clarke & Wilson 2007), enables us to offer more adapted skills for coping with affect as the solution. This 'third wave Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)' approach (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) takes seriously the discontinuities in human information processing (Teasdale & Barnard 1993) and employs mindfulness...
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...Ethical dilemmas that pull us in different and often irreconcilable directions are a part of professional life as therapists. With a true dilemma there is probably no right answer, yet we still need to decide what to do or not do and commit ourselves to the decision bearing in mind our ethical and professional responsibilities. The following vignette shows how I responded to an ethical dilemma in my clinical practice as a trainee person centred psychotherapist. I chose this dilemma as it highlights the issue of boundary lines as a crucial aspect of effective and safe client-counsellor relationships. I run as a regular pastime with my local running club which is held on a mid week evening. My partner and I arrived at the club and bumbped into one of my clients, whom I had been counselling for two months. He had come to counselling as he had difficulty in forming personal relationships and was feeling lonely and depressed. The following day my client sent an email inviting my partner and I for dinner, suggesting we became friends. I considered the overlapping therapy and non-therapy contact to be problematic as it would involve entering a dual relationship with my client. Gabriel (2001) offers a definition which distinguishes between non-therapy and therapy contact by suggesting that a dual relationship occurs when: “a one-to-one contracted therapy relationship between an individual in the role of ‘client’ and one in the role of ‘therapist’ overlaps into a non-therapy...
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...conflicts more effectively by facing up to the negatives as well as the positives of their lives, including the tensions of life and death, love and hate, strength and weakness and meaning and absurdity. Best known authors on existential counselling are Irvin Yalom in the USA through his book Existential Psychotherapy (1981) New York: Basic Books and Emmy van Deurzen, who created the British School and who published her bookExistential Counselling and Psychotherapy in 1988 (London: Sage Publications; second edition 2002, third edition 2011). Existential therapy essentially helps deal with the problems of everyday living, such as relationship difficulties (both with Individuals & in Couple Therapy), anxiety/fear, food/body-image issues, addictions, mood disorders, social anxiety, panic, trauma, low self-esteem, unresolved childhood issues, sexual issues and others. It is a clear, direct and honest approach helping clients work on their particular, unique, experiences, problems, dilemmas and issues. It is appropriate for both short and long term therapy. It ideally suits those who wish to examine themselves and their relationship with others and the world. Existential psychotherapy and counselling draws its frame of reference from a philosophical tradition rather than medical or diagnostic principles. Unlike other, more prescriptive...
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...♦ Psychotherapy can be contemplated as the art of persuasion because of its capability to convalesce the emotional state of distressed individuals and has unavoidably been influenced and molded by the social, economic, political and cultural climates in which it has been formed thus resulting in the evolution over the past 120 years into innumerable methods and schools (Knack, 2009) ♦ Clinicians conventionally functioned from within their own specific theoretical framework often to the point of being blind to other conceptualizations and possible superior interventions (Goldfried, 1980) ♦ As these approaches continued to develop and remain theoretically and scientifically productive (Boswell et al., 2010), in practice, the choice of the most...
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...Psychotherapy, treatment of mental or emotional disorders or personal problems using psychological techniques that rely heavily on verbal and emotional communication and other symbolic behavior. Psychotherapy differs in two ways from the informal help one person gives another. First, it is conducted by a psychotherapist who is specially trained and licensed or otherwise culturally sanctioned. Second, psychotherapy is guided by theories about the sources of distress and the methods needed to alleviate it. Because communication is the primary means of healing in most forms of psychotherapy, the relationship between the therapist and patient, or client, is much more important than in other medical treatments. The therapist’s personality influences the patient and may be used quite deliberately to achieve therapeutic ends. Psychotherapy is often used in conjunction with other treatments, especially psychotropic drug therapy (seePsychoactive Drug; Psychiatry). These drugs may be prescribed by a mental health professional, usually a psychiatrist (a physician who specializes in the treatment of psychological problems). (See also Mental Disorders; Mental Health.) Attempts to ameliorate emotional and mental disorders through psychological means date from ancient time. Psychotherapeutic practices based on scientific principles date from about 1772, when the Austrian physician Franz Anton Mesmer defined and used a form of hypnosis called animal magnetism. Neuroses were treated in the 19th...
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...Final Paper: Personal Theory of Counseling or Psychotherapy Student: Student ID # COUN 6722 Program: MS in Marriage, Couple and Family Counseling Specialization: Trauma and Crisis Intervention Walden University May 18, 2012 The final paper for this course will demonstrate my ability to understand, integrate and apply theories of counseling and psychotherapy based on teachings from the course. My personal theory of counseling or psychotherapy will be presented by examining my basic view of human nature and the key factors I strongly believe account for changes in behavior. The nature of the therapist-client relationship and its relative importance will be explained as well as the key functions and role of the therapist. Key goals of therapy will be described and the particular techniques and procedures specific to my preferred therapeutic approach will be noted. Lastly, the populations and/or client issues best suited and least suited for the named approach will be discussed. View of Human Nature My basic view of human nature is similar to the ideals of Thomas Hobbes. He perceived humans as individuals who are driven by specific desires which motivate their behaviors. Exhibiting certain behaviors will satisfy the desires (Malcolm, 2002). Hobbes’ theory coincides with my own that humans have the ability to decide whether to alter their behaviors to ultimately fulfill their desires (trial and error) or to relinquish their original desires in exchange for more...
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...As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “therapy” is formally known as the therapeutic treatment of bodily, mental, or behavioral disorders. Whether it is short term or long term, therapy is something that can be quite beneficial. There are many different types of therapy, for a wide variety of health issues, but I am going to be talking about psychotherapy specifically. Throughout history, the mental health system has been through many changes and different approaches to therapy have been adopted. With these changes, there has also been the addition of various different mental health resources. When most people think about therapy, they imagine an individual laying on a couch in their counselor’s office with the therapist sitting, usually...
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...Case Study of George Nekisha Riley Kaplan University HN450: Legal and Ethical Issues in Human Services Professor Diane Berry Decemeber 27, 2013 After reading the case study of George, it appears that George is depressed. George is also grieving his wife’s death, which he had been married to for 50 years. When reading the case study, it talked about how George’s father had committed suicide when he was younger. So as a counselor, you have to take into consideration that George may have never had a chance to talk to anyone about this personal issue. In this paper, I will discuss ethical concerns, goals, treatment plan, and support systems for George. When working with George, my ethical concern would be confidentiality. Michael, his son, is the one who has brought George to the counseling session. Confidentiality is the ethical duty of fulfilling the promise that the client’s information received during therapy is not disclosed without permission (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011). When discussing the breach of confidentiality, you have to make sure you cover all grounds. I would think that Michael would want to know things about the counseling session, but as a counselor you have to keep in mind that permission needs to be granted from George. Breaching confidentiality can harm the counseling relationship and potentially the client (Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2011). With George not talking that much in the first session, we want to start building his trust...
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...1 An introduction to counselling Introduction Stories of counselling Paula’s story: coming to terms with trauma Myra’s story: being depressed Matthew’s story: everything is getting on top of me Laura’s story: finding the right counsellor What is counselling? Defining counselling The relationship between counselling and psychotherapy Counselling and other helping professions The diversity of theory and practice in counselling The aims of counselling Counselling as an interdisciplinary area of study A user-centred definition of counselling Conclusions Chapter summary Topics for reflection and discussion Key terms and concepts Suggested further reading Introduction Counselling is a wonderful twentieth-century invention. We live in a complex, busy, changing world. In this world, there are many different types of experience that are difficult for people to cope with. Most of the time, we get on with life, but sometimes we are stopped in our tracks by an event or situation that we do not, at that moment, have the resources to sort out. Most of the time, we find ways of dealing with such problems in living by talking to family, friends, neighbours, priests or our family doctor. But occasionally their advice is not sufficient, or we are too embarrassed or ashamed to tell them what is bothering us, or we just don’t have an appropriate 2 An introduction to counselling person to turn to. Counselling is a really useful option at these moments. In most places, counselling is available fairly...
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...section 12 (1) (a)(b) (3), for private study only by students. STUDENT LEARNING GUIDE: COUNSELLING METHODS 1 2 Table of contents How this guide works ........................................................................................................................ 10 Module Readings .............................................................................................................................. 11 Prescribed text book ......................................................................................................................... 11 Prescribed and recommended readings ........................................................................................... 11 Session One: An Overview of Theories of Psychotherapy and Counselling ..................................... 14 Reading for the session ................................................................................................................. 14 Prescribed ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Recommended .............................................................................................................................. 14 Description of the session...
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...Dual Relationships and Boundaries Paper PSYCH/545 August 13, 2012 Dr. Terry Portis, Ed.D. The Concept of Dual Relationships Dual relationships refer to situations where two or more connections exist between a therapist and a client (Lazarus, A. A. & Zur, O. 2002). Some dual relationship examples consist of when the patient is a friend, student, employee, business associate or a family member of the therapist. Dual relationships are considered boundary crossers, however some dual relationships can be exploitative which is a boundary violation. There are several dual relationships that are sometimes unavoidable. Small and rural communities can place psychologists practicing within them in a dual relationship situation. For instance, the person who pumps the gas, watches and chaperones the neighborhood children on school field trips, bags groceries in the local supermarket, works in one of the few dentist's offices may easily end up being client of the local therapist. In such rural and small communities, relationships may get more complex especially if people decide to choose a therapists because of their relationship with them as appose to finding one online or from the Yellow Pages. Examples of this could be a fellow teammate from a local league, a fellow member of church or even a car dealer of the therapist may choose to go to them out of any other therapist because they know them personally and feel as though they share the same...
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...the disorder. Psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, and family systems are clinical psychological approaches to depression. Each one uses a different approach and in some areas there are overlaps. The information in this paper addresses origins, goals, and techniques of the approaches. Also, an explanation of how each approach affects the treatment strategies of the selected disorder, and the effectiveness of each approach. Major Approaches to Clinical Psychology Psychodynamic therapy is talk therapy like what a person sees depicted on television or in the movies. This type of therapy allows patients to examine emotions, feelings, thoughts, and memories ("Web Md", 2005-2012). Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the “…form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do…” ("National Association Of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist", 1996-2010). Cognitive-behavioral (CBT) is based on the theory, that one’s beliefs effect, his or her emotions and actions, not exterior things, like family, circumstances, and proceedings. The advantage of this information is that a person can alter the way he or she thinks, feels, and acts, even if the state of affairs does not...
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...Discuss, illustrate and reflect on three main concepts of Existential psychotherapy and their application to practice. To illustrate my discussions and reflections I must use a case from a helping relationship in everyday life. * Existential therapy is based on philosophy (Deurzen, 2012). The techniques used in this type of therapy is not specific, it is based on our existence in life. The conflicts that are experienced in life are based on the givens of existence. The therapeutic relationship is between the client and the therapist and most importantly it highlights the client’s personal freedom in deciding their own direction. 0 Some of the key figures regarding existential psychotherapy are Rollo May, Irvin Yalom, Martin Heidegger, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Viktor Frankl, Jean-Paul Sartre (Van Deurzen, 2012, May, 1969, Cox, 2012) 0 Some of the basic concepts of extentialism are freedom and responsibility, isolation, meaninglessness, nothingness, uncertainty, death, anxiety, just to name a few (Cox, 2012). In this essay three of these concepts will be discussed and illustrated followed by a case study to illustrate how these concepts relate to existence. 0 Freedom and Responsibility 0 The fact that we are responsible for ourselves mean that we have to make choices and to take responsibilities for our actions. In this respect we have to make decisions where we have...
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