Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Skills
Literature & Lectures
Summary
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,Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Skills Summary by Bente Niemeijer
Content
Client-centered approach _______________________________________________________________________ 3
Definition ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3
Important concepts ___________________________________________________________________________ 3
Techniques ___________________________________________________________________________________ 4
Comparison to other therapies _________________________________________________________________ 5
Psychodynamic therapies _______________________________________________________________________ 6
Definition ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6
Important concepts ___________________________________________________________________________ 6
Techniques ___________________________________________________________________________________ 8
Psychoanalysis ______________________________________________________________________________ 12
Comparison to other therapies ________________________________________________________________ 12
Behavior therapy ______________________________________________________________________________ 13
Definition ___________________________________________________________________________________ 13
Important concepts __________________________________________________________________________ 14
Techniques __________________________________________________________________________________ 15
Comparison to other therapies ________________________________________________________________ 18
Cognitive therapy ______________________________________________________________________________ 18
Definition ___________________________________________________________________________________ 18
Important concepts __________________________________________________________________________ 18
Techniques __________________________________________________________________________________ 20
Comparison to other therapies ________________________________________________________________ 21
Contemplative therapy ________________________________________________________________________ 21
Definition ___________________________________________________________________________________ 21
Important concepts __________________________________________________________________________ 23
Techniques __________________________________________________________________________________ 25
Comparison to other therapies ________________________________________________________________ 27
Motivational interviewing ______________________________________________________________________ 28
Definition ___________________________________________________________________________________ 28
Important concepts __________________________________________________________________________ 29
Techniques __________________________________________________________________________________ 30
Therapeutic conversation skills ________________________________________________________________ 31
List of other therapy approaches _______________________________________________________________ 32
Disclaimer on sources _________________________________________________________________________ 33
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, Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Skills Summary by Bente Niemeijer
Client-centered approach
Definition
Client-centered therapists tend to be spontaneously responsive, accommodating to the requests
of clients whenever possible and are non-directive. The climate of freedom and safety that the
therapists creates is hypothesized to free the actualizing tendency. Client-centered therapy
unseats clinicians as experts on our lives, recognizing instead our self-authority as active agents
of personal and social change.
Important concepts
Rogers theory
Self-actualisation tendency: everyone has an inner drive to develop (even animals and plants)
1) Growth = allowing capacities to develop
a. Integration = integrating new skills and knowledge
b. Limitation = the best possible adaption (therefore a 'disorder' has a function)
c. People make deliberate decisions and choose about values and direction of their
thinking and acting. In this way the individual moves towards an own identity and
an optimal form, but that form is not fixed as a kind of end product
2) We need certain things to self-actualize
a. Social connection with others
b. Good quality of 'experiencing' (the perception and experience process of the
person)
i. As the person is better able to remain aware and process all kinds of
stimuli, coming from themselves and from the environment, without
inhibitions and defenses, the quality of this process increase
c. Unconditional acceptance: receive and experience unconditional positive
attention, acceptance and care from important people in their environment from
an early age
i. In an accepted environment, the person will be able to feel safe and free
and be able to express themselves openly (= 'being yourself'). This
contributes to an increasingly varied and personal world of experience.
ii. Conditional regard: The stronger the conditions the environment sets for
acceptance and the more they deviate from one's own capabilities and
behaviors, the more the person will be in trouble, because there is
incongruence with who someone 'is' and how someone 'should be'
iii. Rogers's idea is that the therapist's behavior toward the patient
compensates for the disruptive behavior of the important people in the
client's environment.
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