PSY 661 MIDTERM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED
ANSWERS
Systematic Desensitization and Relaxation (CBT pp 294-297) - Answers - Systematic
desensitization, first developed by Wolpe (1958, 1990), is a process used to help clients
overcome their fears through gradual exposure.
The therapist asks the client to focus on the sensation of relaxation as the muscle is
relaxed. This heightened sense of relaxation helps the client develop a kind of
conditioned progressive relaxation response, which is then used to inhibit a person's
anxiety.Therefore, if the client begins to relax physically, they also feel less anxious
emotionally. This has become known as the mind-body connection.
Counselor helping the client create an anxiety hierarchy, which is a list of scenes
related to a particular situation that create anxiety, using a scale from 0 -100 (subjective
units of discomfort - SUD).
The next step is for the counselor to have the client produce the relaxation response
(the client should have practiced at home before coming). The therapist then reads the
anxiety situations to the client and the clients is instructed to raise a finger when they
start to feel any anxiety. The idea is to pair the anxiety-producing stimuli with the
relaxation response, so that the anxiety is inhibited.
In Vivo Desensitization - Answers - In vivo desensitization occurs when the
desensitization is done in a real-life situation. It may involve the therapist accompanying
the client as the client gradually approaches the feared situation (A classic example of
this is dealing with a fear of dogs.)
Because it is not usually practical for a therapist to accompany clients in vivo, the client
can be instructed to work on the in vivo desensitization by himself or with a friend or
relative who is willing to assist.
The client's use of relaxation in the actual situation has been called cue-controlled
relaxation. The client is taught the relaxation response and is given a cue to produce the
relaxation on cue in any situation (like taking a deep breath).
Exposure Therapies - Answers - Exposure therapy has been very successful with OCD
clients.
Exposure therapy involves exposing clients to, or having them confront, an anxiety-
producing situation to help them eventually overcome that anxiety.
According to Foa (2011), there are three types of exposure and response therapy:
In vivo means in the real-life situation.
Imaginal means in the person's imagination.
Interceptive refers to exercises that bring about the physical sensations of a panic
attack, such as hyperventilation and high muscle tension, in order to prevent this
response in the future.
The headings of an exposure patient handout form (Abramowitz, Deacon, & Whiteside,
2011) - Answers - 1. Prepare to feel anxious.
, 2. Don't fight the anxiety and fear.
3. Do not use safety behaviors before, during, or after exposure.
4. Test out negative beliefs about the consequences of facing your fear.
5. Keep track of your SUDs (Subjective Units of Discomfort).
6. Stay in the exposures until they no longer make you very anxious.
7. Repeat exposures until they no longer make you very anxious.
8. Practice exposures in different settings. (p. 108)
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) - Answers - This approach is similar to in vivo
exposure therapy, except that the person encounters the phobic situation via a
computer- generated scene. The person encounters the phobic situation via computer-
generated scene
Two systems have been used in this approach:
Computer Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE): Multiuser (therapist and client can
user together)
Head Mounted Display (HMD): only for individual use.
Assertiveness Training - Answers - Wolpe spawned an entire industry when he
developed assertiveness training, or assertion training, which teaches clients to verbally
respond and express their opinions and feelings to others.
Wolpe's original idea of assertiveness training was directly related to counter
conditioning. Being assertive with a response tends to counter anxiety in a way
somewhat similar to what happens in desensitization.
Typical assertiveness training steps include the following: - Answers - 1. Learn the
differences among assertive, non-assertive (passive), and aggressive responses.
2. Assess your assertive, aggressive, and non-assertive (passive) responses.
3. Develop new assertive responses for specific situations.
4. Think through and discuss the risks of your being assertive.
5. Rehearse your assertive behavior.
6. Try out assertive responses in a real situation.
7. Maintain assertive behavior by constant re-evaluation and reinforcement.
Before any assertiveness training steps can be successful, the client must come to
believe that he deserves to have his feelings and opinions expressed. Clients who have
a long history of passivity and an image of themselves as unworthy and undeserving of
being heard may have difficulty with the method and may need more extensive
preparation before they are ready for the training itself.
Arbitrary Inference - Answers - Coming to a conclusion inappropriately when there is no
evidence, or even contrary evidence, for the conclusion.
Selective Abstraction - Answers - Paying attention to a selective piece of information
w/o looking at the other information or considering the situation as a whole.
Overgeneralization - Answers - Drawing a conclusion from very limited data.
ANSWERS
Systematic Desensitization and Relaxation (CBT pp 294-297) - Answers - Systematic
desensitization, first developed by Wolpe (1958, 1990), is a process used to help clients
overcome their fears through gradual exposure.
The therapist asks the client to focus on the sensation of relaxation as the muscle is
relaxed. This heightened sense of relaxation helps the client develop a kind of
conditioned progressive relaxation response, which is then used to inhibit a person's
anxiety.Therefore, if the client begins to relax physically, they also feel less anxious
emotionally. This has become known as the mind-body connection.
Counselor helping the client create an anxiety hierarchy, which is a list of scenes
related to a particular situation that create anxiety, using a scale from 0 -100 (subjective
units of discomfort - SUD).
The next step is for the counselor to have the client produce the relaxation response
(the client should have practiced at home before coming). The therapist then reads the
anxiety situations to the client and the clients is instructed to raise a finger when they
start to feel any anxiety. The idea is to pair the anxiety-producing stimuli with the
relaxation response, so that the anxiety is inhibited.
In Vivo Desensitization - Answers - In vivo desensitization occurs when the
desensitization is done in a real-life situation. It may involve the therapist accompanying
the client as the client gradually approaches the feared situation (A classic example of
this is dealing with a fear of dogs.)
Because it is not usually practical for a therapist to accompany clients in vivo, the client
can be instructed to work on the in vivo desensitization by himself or with a friend or
relative who is willing to assist.
The client's use of relaxation in the actual situation has been called cue-controlled
relaxation. The client is taught the relaxation response and is given a cue to produce the
relaxation on cue in any situation (like taking a deep breath).
Exposure Therapies - Answers - Exposure therapy has been very successful with OCD
clients.
Exposure therapy involves exposing clients to, or having them confront, an anxiety-
producing situation to help them eventually overcome that anxiety.
According to Foa (2011), there are three types of exposure and response therapy:
In vivo means in the real-life situation.
Imaginal means in the person's imagination.
Interceptive refers to exercises that bring about the physical sensations of a panic
attack, such as hyperventilation and high muscle tension, in order to prevent this
response in the future.
The headings of an exposure patient handout form (Abramowitz, Deacon, & Whiteside,
2011) - Answers - 1. Prepare to feel anxious.
, 2. Don't fight the anxiety and fear.
3. Do not use safety behaviors before, during, or after exposure.
4. Test out negative beliefs about the consequences of facing your fear.
5. Keep track of your SUDs (Subjective Units of Discomfort).
6. Stay in the exposures until they no longer make you very anxious.
7. Repeat exposures until they no longer make you very anxious.
8. Practice exposures in different settings. (p. 108)
Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) - Answers - This approach is similar to in vivo
exposure therapy, except that the person encounters the phobic situation via a
computer- generated scene. The person encounters the phobic situation via computer-
generated scene
Two systems have been used in this approach:
Computer Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE): Multiuser (therapist and client can
user together)
Head Mounted Display (HMD): only for individual use.
Assertiveness Training - Answers - Wolpe spawned an entire industry when he
developed assertiveness training, or assertion training, which teaches clients to verbally
respond and express their opinions and feelings to others.
Wolpe's original idea of assertiveness training was directly related to counter
conditioning. Being assertive with a response tends to counter anxiety in a way
somewhat similar to what happens in desensitization.
Typical assertiveness training steps include the following: - Answers - 1. Learn the
differences among assertive, non-assertive (passive), and aggressive responses.
2. Assess your assertive, aggressive, and non-assertive (passive) responses.
3. Develop new assertive responses for specific situations.
4. Think through and discuss the risks of your being assertive.
5. Rehearse your assertive behavior.
6. Try out assertive responses in a real situation.
7. Maintain assertive behavior by constant re-evaluation and reinforcement.
Before any assertiveness training steps can be successful, the client must come to
believe that he deserves to have his feelings and opinions expressed. Clients who have
a long history of passivity and an image of themselves as unworthy and undeserving of
being heard may have difficulty with the method and may need more extensive
preparation before they are ready for the training itself.
Arbitrary Inference - Answers - Coming to a conclusion inappropriately when there is no
evidence, or even contrary evidence, for the conclusion.
Selective Abstraction - Answers - Paying attention to a selective piece of information
w/o looking at the other information or considering the situation as a whole.
Overgeneralization - Answers - Drawing a conclusion from very limited data.
