Psychoanalytic Therapy

Human beings are basically determined by psychic energy and by early

experienced. Unconscious motives and conflicts are central in present behavior.
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Irrational forces are strong; the person is driven by sexual and aggressive
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impulses. Early development is of critical importance because later personality
problems have their roots in repressed childhood conflicts.
Normal personality development is based on successful resolution and
integration of psychosexual stages of development. Faulty personality
Key Concepts development is the result of inadequate resolution of some specific stage.
Anxiety is a result of repression of basic conflicts. Unconscious processes are
centrally related to current behavior.
To make the unconscious conscious. To reconstruct basic personality. To assist
Goals of Therapy clients in reliving earlier experiences and working through repressed conflicts. To
achieve intellectual and emotional awareness.
The classical analyst remains anonymous, and clients develop projections toward
him or her. Focus is on reducing the resistances that develop in working with
transference and on establishing more rational control. Clients undergo a long-
The Therapeutic term analysis, engage in free association to uncover conflicts, and gain insight by
Relationship talking. The analyst makes interpretations to teach the clients the meaning of
current behavior as it relates to the past. In contemporary relational
psychoanalytic therapy, the relationship is central and emphasis is given to here-
and-now dimensions of this relationship.
The key techniques are interpretation, dream analysis, free association, analysis
of resistance, analysis of transference, and understanding counter transference.
Techniques of
Techniques are designed to help clients gain access to their unconscious
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conflicts, which leads to insight and eventual assimilation of new material by the
ego.
Candidates for analytic therapy include professionals who want to become
therapists, people who have had intensive therapy and want to go further, and
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those who are in psychological pain. Analytic therapy is not recommended for
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self-centered and impulsive individuals or for people with psychotic disorders.
Techniques can be applied to individual and group therapy.

Adlerian Therapy
Humans are motivated by social interest, by striving towards goals, by inferiority,
by superiority, and by dealing the tasks of life. Emphasis is on the individual’s
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positive capacities to live in society cooperatively. People have the capacity to
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interpret, influence and create events. Each person at early age creates a unique
style of life which tends to remain relatively constant throughout life.
Key concepts of this model include the unity of personality, the need to view
people from their subjective perspective and the importance of life goals that
gives direction to behavior. People are motivated by social interest and finding
Key Concepts goals to give life meaning. Other concepts are striving for significance and
superiority, developing a unique lifestyle, and understanding the family
constellation. Therapy is a matter of providing encouragement and assisting
clients in changing their cognitive perspective and behavior.
 To challenge clients’ basic premises and life goals. To offer encouragement so
Goals of Therapy individuals can develop socially useful goals and increase social interest. To
develop the client’s sense of belonging.
The emphasis is on joint responsibility, on mutually determining goals, on mutual
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trust and respect, and on equality. Focus is on identifying, exploring, and
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disclosing mistaken goals and faulty assumptions within the person’s lifestyle.
Adlerians pay more attention to the subjective experiences of clients than to
using techniques. Some techniques include gathering life-history data (family
Techniques of
constellation, early recollections, personal priorities), sharing interpretations
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with clients, offering encouragement, and assisting clients in searching for new
possibilities.
Because the approach is based on a growth model, it is applicable to such varied
spheres of life as a child guidance, parent-child counseling, marital and family
Applications of therapy, individual counseling with all age groups, correctional and rehabilitation
the Approaches counseling, group counseling, substance abuse programs, and brief counseling.
It is ideally suited to preventive care and alleviating a broad range of conditions
that interfere with growth.

Existential Therapy
The central focus is on the nature of the human condition, which includes a
The Basic capacity of self-awareness, freedom of choice to decide one’s fate,
Philosophies responsibility, anxiety, the search for meaning, being alone and being in relation
with others, striving for authenticity, and facing living and dying.
Essentially an experiential approach to counseling rather than a firm of
theoretical model, it stresses core human conditions, Normally, personality
development is based on the uniqueness of each individual. Sense of self
Key Concepts
develops from infancy. Interest is on the present and on what one is becoming.
The approach has a future orientation and stresses self -awareness before
action.
To help people see that they are free and to become aware of their possibilities.
To challenge them to recognize that they are responsible for events that they
Goals of Therapy
formerly thought were happening to them. To identify factors that block
freedom.
The therapist’s main tasks are to accurately grasp clients’ being in the world and
to establish a personal and authentic encounter with them. The immediacy of
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the client-therapist relationship and the authenticity of the her-and-now
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encounter are stressed. Both client and therapist can be changed by the
encounter.
Few techniques flow from this approach because it stresses understanding first
and understanding second. The therapist can borrow techniques from other
Techniques of approaches and incorporate them in an existential framework. Diagnosis,
Therapy testing, and external measurements are not deemed important. Issues are
addressed are freedom and responsibility, isolation and relationships, meaning
and meaninglessness, living and dying.
This approach is especially suited to people facing a developmental crisis or a
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transition in life and for those with existential concerns (making choices, dealing
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with freedom and responsibility, coping with guilt and anxiety, making sense of
 life and finding values) or those seeking personal enhancement. The approach
can be applied to both individual and group counseling, and to couples and
family therapy, crisis intervention, and community mental health work.

Person-centered Therapy
The view of human is positive; we have an inclination toward becoming fully
The Basic functioning. In the context of the therapeutic relationship, the client experiences
Philosophies feelings that were previously denied to awareness. The client moves toward
increased awareness, spontaneity, trust in self, and inner-directedness.
The client has the potential to become aware of problems and the means to
resolve them. Faith is placed in the client’s capacity for self-direction. Mental
Key Concepts health is a congruence of ideal self and real self. Maladjustment is the result of a
discrepancy between one wants to be and what one is. In therapy attention is
given to the present moment and on experiencing and expressing feelings.
To provide a safe climate conducive to clients’ self-exploration, so that they can
recognize blocks to growth and can experience aspects of self that were formerly
Goals of Therapy denied or distorted. To enable them to move toward openness, greater trust in
self, willingness to be a process and increase spontaneity and aliveness. To find
meaning in life and to experience live fully. To become more self- directed.
The relationship is of primary importance. The qualities of the therapist,
including genuineness, warmth, accurate empathy, respect, and
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nonjudgmentalness-and-communication of these attitudes to clients-are
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stressed. Clients use this to genuine relationship with the therapist to help them
to transfer what they learn to other relationships.
This approach uses few techniques but stresses the attitudes of the therapist
and a “way of being.” Therapists strive for active listening, reflection of feelings,
Techniques of
clarification, and “being there” for the client. This model does not include
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diagnostic testing, interpretation, taking a case history, or questioning or probing
for information.
Has wide applicability to individual and group counseling. It is especially well
suited for the initial of crisis intervention work. Its principles have been applied
Applications of applied to couples and family therapy, community programs, administration and
the Approaches management, and human relationships training. It is a useful approach for
teaching, parent-child relations, and for working with groups of people from
diverse cultural backgrounds.

Gestalt Therapy
The person strives for wholeness and integration of thinking, feeling and
behaving. Some key concepts include contact with self and others, contact
The Basic boundaries, and awareness. The view is nondeterministic in that the person is
Philosophies viewed as having the capacity to recognize how earlier influences are related to
present difficulties. As an experiential approach, it is grounded in the here and
now and emphasizes awareness, personal choice, and responsibility.
Emphasis is on the “what” and “how” of experiencing in the here and now to
help clients accept all aspects of themselves. Key concepts include holism, figure-
Key Concepts
formation process, awareness, unfinished business and avoidance, contact and
energy.
 To assist clients in gaining awareness of moment-to-moment experiencing and
Goals of Therapy
to expand the capacity to make choices. To foster integration of the self.
Central importance is given to the I /Thou relationship and the quality of the
therapist’s presence. The therapist’s attitudes and behavior count more than the
The Therapeutic techniques used. The therapist does not interpret for clients but assists them in
Relationship developing the means to make their own interpretations. Clients identify and
work on unfinished business from the past that interferes with current
functioning.
A wide range of experiments are designed to intensify experiencing and to
integrate conflicting conflicts. Experiments are co-created by therapist and client
Techniques of
through an I/Thou dialogue. Therapists have latitude to creatively invent their
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own experiments. Formal diagnosis and testing are not a required part of
therapy.
Addresses a wide range of problems and populations: crisis intervention,
treatment of range of psychosomatic disorders, couples and family therapy,
Applications of awareness training of mental health, behavior problems in children, and
the Approaches teaching and learning. It is well suited to both individual and group counseling.
The methods are powerful catalysts for opening up feelings and getting clients
into contact with their present-centered experience.

Behavior Therapy
Behavior is the product of learning. We are both the product and the producer
of the environment. No set of unifying assumptions about behavior can
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incorporate all the existing procedures in the behavioral field. Traditional
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behavior therapy is based on classical and operant principles. Contemporary
behavior therapy has branched out in many directions.
Focus is on overt behavior, precision in specifying goals of treatment plans, and
objective evaluation of therapy outcomes. Present behavior is given attention.
Key Concepts Therapy is based on the principles of learning theory. Normal behavior is learned
through reinforcement and imitation. Abnormal behavior is the result of faulty
learning.
To eliminate maladaptive behaviors and learn more effective behaviors. To
identify factors that influence behavior and find out what can be done about
Goals of Therapy problematic behavior. To encourage clients to take an active and collaborative
role in clearly setting treatment goals and evaluating how well these goals are
being met.
The therapist is active and directive and functions as a teacher or mentor in
helping clients learn more effective behavior. Clients must be active in the
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process and experiment with new behaviors. Although quality client-therapist
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relationship is not viewed as sufficient to bring about change, it is considered
essential for implementing behavioral procedures.
The main techniques are reinforcement, shaping, modeling, systemic
desensitization, relaxation methods, flooding, eye movement and
Techniques of desensitization reprocessing, cognitive restructuring, assertion and social skills
Therapy training, self-management programs, mindfulness and acceptance methods,
behavioral rehearsal, coaching, and various multimodal therapy techniques.
Diagnosis or assessment is done at the outset to determine a treatment plan.
 Questions concentrate on “what,” “how,” and “when” but not “why”). Contracts
and homework assignments are also typically used.
A pragmatic approach based on empirical validation of results. Enjoys wide
applicability to individual, group, couples, and family counseling. Some problems
to which the approach is well suite are phobic disorders, depression, trauma,
Applications of
sexual disorders, children's behavioral disorders, stuttering and prevention of
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cardiovascular disease. Beyond clinical practice, its principles are applied in fielss
such as pediatrics, stress management, behavioral medicine, education and
geriatrics.

Cognitive behavior Therapy

Individuals tend to incorporate faulty thinking, which leads to emotional and
behavioral disturbances. Cognitions are the major determinants of how we feel
and act. Therapy is primarily oriented toward cognition and behavior, and it
The Basic stresses the role of thinking, deciding, questioning, doing, and redeciding. This is
Philosophies a psychoeducational model, which emphasizes therapy as a learning process,
including acquiring and practicing new skills, learning new ways of thinking, and
acquiring and practicing new skills, learning new skills, learning new ways of
thinking, and acquiring more effective ways of coping with problems.
Although psychological problems may be rooted in childhood, they are
reinforced by present ways of thinking. A person’s belief system is the primary
Key Concepts cause of disorders. Internal dialogue plays a central role in one’s behavior.
Clients focus on examining faulty assumptions and misconceptions and on
replacing these with effective beliefs.
To challenge clients to confront faulty beliefs with contradictory evidence that
Goals of Therapy they gather and evaluate. To help clients seek out their faulty beliefs and
minimize them. To become aware of automatic thoughts and to change them.
In REBT the therapist functions as a teacher and the client as a student. The
therapist is highly directive and teaches clients an A-B-C model of changing their
cognitions. In CT The focus is on collaborative relationship. Using a Socratic
The Therapeutic dialogue, the therapist assists clients in identifying dysfunctional beliefs and
Relationship discovering alternative rules for living. The therapist promotes corrective
experiences that lead to learning new skills. Clients gain insight into their
problems and then must actively practice changing self-defeating thinking and
acting.
Therapists use a variety of cognitive, emotive and behavioral techniques; diverse
methods are tailored to suit individual clients. This is an active, directive, time-
limited, present-centered, psychoeducational structured therapy. Some
techniques include engaging in Socratic dialogue, collaborative empiricism,
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debating irrational beliefs, carrying out homework assignments, gathering data
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on assumptions one has made, keeping a record of activities, forming alternative
interpretations, learning new coping skills, changing one’s language and thinking
patterns, role playing, imagery, confronting faulty beliefs, self-instructional
training, and stress inoculation training.
Has beeb widely applied to treatment of depression, anxiety, relationship
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problems, stress management, skill training, substance abuse, assertion training,
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eating disorders, panic attacks, performance anxiety and social phobias. CBT is
 especiallly useful for assisting people in modifying their cognitions. Many self-
help approaches itilize its principles. CBT can be applied to a wide range of client
populations with a variety of specific problems.

Reality Therapy
Based on choice theory, this approach assumes that we need quality
relationships to be happy. Psychological problems are the result of our resisting
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the control by others or of our attempt to control others. Choice theory is an
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explanation of human nature and how to best achieve satisfying interpersonal
relationships.
The basic focus is on what clients are doing and how to get them to evaluate
whether their present actions are working for them. People are mainly
Key Concepts motivated to satisfy their needs, especially the need for significant relationships.
The approach rejects the medical model, the notion of transference, the
unconscious, and dwelling on one’s past.
To help people become more effective in meeting all of their psychological
Goals of Therapy needs. To enable clients to get reconnected with the people they have chosen to
put into their quality worlds and teach clients choice theory.
A therapists’ main function is to create a good relationship with the client.
Therapists are then able to engage clients in an evaluation of all their
relationships with respect to what they want and how effective they are in
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getting this. Therapists find out what clients want, ask what they choosing to do,
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invite them to evaluate present behavior, help them make plans for change, and
get them to make a commitment. The therapist is a client advocate, as long as
the client is willing to attempt to behave responsibly.
This is an active, directive, and didactic therapy. Various techniques may be used
Techniques of to get clients to evaluate what they are presently doing to see if they are willing
Therapy to change. If clients decide that their present behavior is not effective, they
develop a specific plan for change and make a commitment to follow through.
Geared to teaching people ways of using choice theory in everyday living to
increase effective behaviors. It has been applied to individual counselling with a
Applications of
wide range of clients, group counseling, working with youthful law offenders,
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and couples and family therapy. In some instancesit is well suited to brief
therapy and crisis intervention.

Feminist Therapy
Feminists criticize many traditional theories to the degree that they are based on
gender-biased concepts, such as being androcentric, gendercentric,
ethnocentric, heterosexist, and intrapsychic. The constructs of feminist therapy
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include being gender-fair, flexible, interactionist, and life-span-oriented. Gender
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and power are at the heart of feminist therapy. This is a systems approach that
recognizes the cultural, social, and political factors that contribute to an
individual’s problems.
Core principles that form the foundation for practice of feminist therapy are that
Key Concepts personal is political, a commitment to social change, women’s voices, and
knowing are valued and women’s experiences are honored, the counselling
 relationship is egalitarian, a focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of
psychological distress, and all types of oppression are recognized.
To bring about transformation both in the individual client and in society. To
assist clients in recognizing, claiming, and using their personal power to free
Goals of Therapy
themselves from the limitations of gender-role socialization. To confront all
forms of institutional policies that discriminate or oppress on any basis.
The therapeutic relationship is based on empowerment and egalitarianism.
Therapist actively break down the hierarchy of power and reduce artificial
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barriers by engaging in appropriate self-disclosure and teaching clients about the
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therapy process. Therapist strive to create a collaborative relationship in which
clients can become their own expert.
This is an active, directive, and didactic therapy. Various techniques may be used
Techniques of to get clients to evaluate what they are presently doing to see if they are willing
Therapy to change. If clients decide that their present behavior is not effective, they
develop a specific plan for change and make a commitment to follow through.
Principles and techniques can be applied to arrange of therapeutic modalities
Applications of such a s individual therapy, relationship counseling, family therapy, group
the Approaches counseling and community intervention. The approach can be applied to both
women and men with the goal of bringing about empowerment.

Postmodern approaches
Based on the premise that there are multiple realities and multiple truths, post-
modern therapies reject the idea that reality is external and can be grasped.
People create meaning in their lives through conversations with others. The
The Basic postmodern approaches avoid pathologizing clients, take a dim view of
Philosophies diagnosis, avoid searching for underlying causes of problems, and place a high
value on rediscovering clients’ strengths and resources. Rather than talking
about problems, the focus of therapy is on creating solutions in the present and
future.
Therapy tends to be brief and addresses the present and the future. The person
is not the problem; the problem is the problem. The emphasis is on externalizing
the problem and looking for exceptions to the problem. Therapy consists of a
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collaborative dialogue in which the therapist and the client co-create solutions.
By identifying instances when the problem did not exist, clients can create new
meanings for themselves and fashion a new life story.
To change the way client view problems and what they can do about these
concerns. To collaboratively establish specific, clear, concrete, realistic, and
observable goals leading to increased positive change. To help clients create self-
Goals of Therapy
identity grounded on competence and resourcefulness so they can resolve
present and future concerns, To assist clients in viewing their lives in positive
ways, rather than being problem saturated.
Therapy is collaborative partnership. Clients are viewed as the experts of on
their own life. Therapists use questioning dialogue to help clients free
The Therapeutic themselves from their problem-saturated stories and create new life-affirming
Relationship stories. Solution-focused therapist assume an active role in guiding the client
away from the problem-talk and toward solution-talk. Clients are encouraged to
explore their strengths and to create solutions that will lead to a richer future.
 Narrative therapists assist clients in externalizing problems and guide them in
challenging self-limiting stories and creating new and more liberating stories.
In solution-focused therapy the main technique involves change-talk, with
emphasis on times in a client’s life when the problem was not a problem. Other
techniques include creative use of questioning, the miracle question, and scaling
Techniques of questions, which assist clients in developing alternative stories. In narrative
Therapy therapy, specific techniques include listening to a client’s problem-saturated
story without getting stuck, externalizing conversations, and discovering clues to
competence. Narrative therapists often write letters to clients and assist them in
finding an audience that will support their changes and new stories.
Solution-focused therapy is well suited for people with adjustment disorders and
for problems of anxiety and depression. Narrative therapy is now being used for
a broad range of human difficulties including eating disorders, family distress,
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depression, and relationship concerns. These approaches can be applied to
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working with children, adollescents, adults, couples, families, and the
community in a wide variety of settings. Both solution-focused and narrative
approaches lend themselves to group counseling.

Family systems Therapy

The family is viewed from an interactive and systemic perspective. Clients are
connected to a living system; a change in one part of the system will result in a
change in one part of the system will result in a change in other parts. The family
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provides the context for understanding how individuals function in relationship
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to others and how they behave. Treatment deals with the family unit. An
individual’s dysfunctional behavior grows out of the interactional unit of the
family and out of larger systems as well.
Focus on communication patterns within a family, both verbal and non-verbal.
Problems in relationships are likely to be passed on from generation to
generation. Symptoms are viewed as ways of communicating with the aim of
controlling other family members. Key concepts vary depending on specific
Key Concepts
orientation but include differentiation, triangles, power coalitions, family-of-
origin dynamics, functional versus dysfunctional interaction patterns and dealing
with here-and-now interactions. The present is more important than exploring
past experiences.
To help family members gain awareness of patterns of relationships that are not
Goals of Therapy
working well and to create new ways of interacting.
The family therapist functions as a teacher, coach, model, and consultant. The
family learns ways to detect and solve problems that are keeping members
stuck, and it learns about patterns that have been transmitted from generation
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to generation. Some approaches focus on the role of therapist as expert; others
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concentrate on intensifying what is going on in the here and now of the family
session. All family therapists are concerned with the process of family interaction
and teaching patterns of communication.
A variety of techniques may be used, depending on the particular theoretical
Techniques of orientation of the therapist. Techniques include genograms, teaching, asking
Therapy questions, joining the family, tracking sequences, issuing directives, use of
countertransference, family mapping, reframing, restructuring, enactments, and
 setting boundaries. Techniques may be experiential, cognitive, or behavioral in
nature. Most are designed to bring about change in a short time.
Useful for dealing with marital distress, problems of communicating among
Applications of family members, power struggles, crisis situations in the family, helping
the Approaches individuals attain their potential, and enhancing the overall functioning of the
family.