Applications

• BEHAVIOURIST: What is flooding?

  • Flooding which is a type of extreme exposure therapy
  • Exposes clients to their worst phobias at maximum level of intensity for long periods of time with no chance of escape
  • Anxiety is energy and it is not unlimited so fight or flight exhausts itself and a new positive association is made with the phobia
• BEHAVIOURIST: What is systematic desensitisation?

  1. Functional analysis - discussion to discover reasons for phobia and how client reacts
  2. Construction of Anxiety Hierarchy - develop hierarchy of phobic situations e.g. by rating on a scale of 1 to 10
  3. Relaxation training - taught relaxation techniques e.g. breathing exercises
  4. Gradual exposure:

  • Start with least threatening thought
  • When experiencing fear reaction teach relaxation technique at same time
  • When no anxiety at stage, move onto next and repeated until through hierarchy without anxiety and new positive associations formed
• BEHAVIOURIST: What are the practicalities of flooding?

  • Quicker than systematic desensitisation
  • Controlled environment - reliability, scientific
  • Ethics - distress, right to withdraw
• BEHAVIOURIST: What are the practicalities of systematic desensitisation?

  • Takes longer than flooding - could be too long if phobia too extreme
  • Doesn't address root cause whereas psychoanalysis does
  • Cheaper and quicker than psychoanalysis
  • Some phobic objects too dangerous to have in therapists office
  • Holistic - pictures, videos, real thing
  • Controlled environment - reliability
• PSYCHODYNAMIC: What is psychoanalysis?

  • Client unaware of depression and unconscious repressed memories may resurface when triggered by adult experiences of loss
  • Therapist attempts to trace memories to childhood events such as real or symbolic loss and helps them deal by free association where client expresses thoughts as they occur freely about childhood until parents mentioned
  • Links or associations made about thoughts and therapist draws conclusions
  • This weakens the ego to bring unresolved conflict from subconscious to conscious to be resolved
• PSYCHODYNAMIC: What is dream analysis?

  • Irrational desires are expressed symbolically in dreams
  • Client does free association of dreams
  • Manifest and latent content is analysed to spot wish fulfilment and the therapist makes associations and links to explain depression
  • This weakens the ego to bring unresolved repressed conflict from the subconscious to the conscious to resolve it
• HUMANIST: What is Humanistic Counselling?

  • Humanistic counselling
  • Rejects psychodynamic and behaviourist approach as it dehumanises the individual
  • Client's problems are unique to the individual and the client dictates the content and direction of the sessions
  • The therapist is empathetic, non judgemental and an active listener to show unconditional positive regard to increase the congruence between the self concept and the ideal self
• COGNITIVE / BEHAVIOURIST: What is CBT?

  • CBT
  • Originates from Ellis' ABC model adding D and E
  • Sessions individually or in groups focusing on current issues every week and therapist analyses responses to determine if irrational and the effects
  • Therapist helps dispute irrational beliefs by working with client e.g. completing worksheets
  • Client asked to keep diary of thoughts and feelings and if effective the client can challenge irrational beliefs and think positively