Summary of the Different Therapies
Therapies What is the nature of Key Concepts
man/causes of Behavior
Psychoanalytic Therapy -The Freudian view of
human nature is
deterministic.
-According to him,
people’s behavior is
determined by irrational
forces, unconscious
motivations, and
biological and instinctual
drives.
-Instincts are central to
Freudian approach which
he originally called libido
to refer sexual energy that the unconscious stores all
serves the purpose of
survival of the individual
and human race
Therapy Client Experiences
Techniques/Process
-Personality consists of -Psychoanalytic Therapy -In Classical Approach,
three systems: Id that uses method to bring clients must commit
ruled by the pleasure unconscious conscious themselves to long and
principle, Ego that ruled and strengthen the ego so intensive psychotherapy.
by the reality principle that behavior is based -Face-to-Face sessions
and Superego that more on reality. Its main with the therapist will be
includes the person’s focus is leaned toward the the starting point in
moral code. development of the initiating a relationship
-The conscious contains individual in the earlier with the client, and from
the thoughts, memories, years, where experiences there, clients will be then
feelings, and wishes of are discussed, being instructed to lie
which we are aware at reconstructed, down on a couch and
any given moment and interpreted, and analyzed. actively engage Free
Techniques that are Association, that is, to say
experiences, memories commonly used are your inward thoughts
and repressed material. analytic framework, free without censorship.
-Anxiety that is a feeling association, -Clients must also be in a
of dread that results from interpretation, dream commitment with the
repressed feelings, analysis, analysis of therapist and that they
 memories, desires, and resistance, and analysis of must stick with the
experience that emerge transference. procedures of the
to the surface of therapy.
awareness. -Clients are not
-Ego-Defense mechanisms recommended to make
for the individual to cope any radical changes in
with anxiety and prevent lifestyle while undergoing
the ego from being therapy.
overwhelmed.

Adlerian Therapy -Adler abandoned the -The main concepts are -The therapeutic process -Clients explore what
basic theories of Freud social interest, holism, includes establishing the Adlerians call Private Logic
because he believed that lifestyle, goals or relationship, assessing the which are the concepts
Freud focused of directionality and individual’s psychological about self, others and life
biological and instinctual equality. dynamics, encouraging that made up the client’s
determination -He attempted to view the self-understanding and philosophy of life.
-He believes that an world from the client’s insight and reorientation -Clients discover the
individual begins to form subjective frame of and reeducation. It helps purpose of behavior or
an approach to life within reference which he individuals to be more symptoms and the basis
their first six months. described as aware of their patterns mistakes associated with
-He focuses on how the phenomenological. and make changes in their their coping.
person’s perception of the style of living.
past and his or her -Human personality -The main goal of the -Clients learn how to
interpretation of early becomes unified through therapy is to help clients correct faulty
events has a continuing the development of a life identify and change their assumptions and
influence. goal. Individual think, feel mistaken beliefs about conclusions.
-He believes that people and act in relation to the self, others and life. -Clients will discover that
could change through perception of his goal. he/she has resources and
social learning. -Social interest and options to draw on in
-According to him, community feeling that dealing with significant
humans are motivated are the most significant life issues and life tasks.
primarily by social and distinctive concepts
relatedness rather that by of Adler refer to an
sexual urges and their individual’s awareness of
behaviors are purposeful being part of a human
and goal-directed. community and attitudes
-He focuses on inferiority in dealing with the social
feelings which is a normal world.
condition of all people -He also give attention to
and as a source of all birth order and one’s
human striving position in the family in
relation interacting in the
world.
Existential Therapy -Human nature is
phenomenological; that is
we construct ourselves
according to the
perceptions of reality.
-Humans are in constant
state of transition,
emerging, evolving and
becoming in response to
the tensions,
contradictions and
conflicts in our lives.
-Basic dimensions of the
human condition
according to existential
therapy:
1.The capacity for self-
awareness
2.The tension between
freedom &
responsibility
3.The creation of an
identity & establishing
-Existential Therapy is -Existential Therapy has
more philosophical in no specific techniques.
nature and focuses on -Interventions used are
issues central to human based on philosophical
existence. views about nature of
-There is no specific human existence.
technique to be used and -It places central
it is based on the quality prominence on the
of the personal person-to-person
relationship between relationship.
client and therapist that -The aim of the therapy is
heals. to assist clients in moving
-It stresses personal toward authenticity and
freedom in deciding one’s learning to recognize
fate. when they are deceiving
-Conflict is between the themselves.
individual and the givens -It does not focus on a
of existence termed person’s past. Instead,
ultimate concerns in they work with the person
death, freedom, isolation in therapy to discover and
and meaninglessness. explore the choices that
lie before them.
-Clients are encouraged to
assume responsibility for
how they are currently
choosing to be in their
world.
-Clients must be active in
the therapeutic process
because during the
therapy they must decide
what fears, guilt feelings
and anxieties they want to
explore.
-Clients confront ultimate
concerns rather that
coping with immediate
problem.
 meaningful
relationships
4.The search for
meaning, purpose, and
values of life
5. Accepting anxiety as
a condition of living
6. The awareness of
death and nonbeing
Person-Centered -Humans are trustworthy
Therapy/Client-Centered and positive. They are also the tendency for a person
Therapy capable of making
changes and living
productive, effective lives.
-Humans innately
gravitate toward self-
actualizing (actualizing
tendency). They strive to
move forward in
constructive directions
and successfully deal with
obstacles that are
blocking their growth.
-Self-actualization which is -The therapist does not -The clients use the
choose specific goals for relationship established
to reach their fullest the client. Instead, the with the therapist to gain
potential through self- clients have the self-understanding.
discovery and personal opportunity to decide Clients have an
growth. goals for themselves and opportunity to explore
-Positive regard wherein a come to terms with their feelings, thoughts, beliefs
person needs for own personal power. and discover hidden
appreciation, love, -Goals of the therapy are aspect of self.
respect, etc. from another set clients free to engage -Clients values of being
person. It has two types. in self-exploration, understood and accepted
The Unconditional positive view of human that results in creating a
positive regard is nature, focus on what is safe place to explore and
receiving positive right and positive side of try new behaviors.
 responses from people no the people and moving
matter the action, forward positively in the
behavior, etc. Conditional client’s real world.
positive regard is the
reinforcement of certain
actions, behaviors, etc.
over others.
-Congruence which is the
agreement between a
persons’ self-concept (the
way they see themselves),
their real self (who they
really are) and their ideal
self (the way they would
like to be).
-Empathetic
understanding wherein
the therapists see the
client’s world as his or her
own.
Gestalt Therapy -Human nature is rooted -Basic principles includes: -Gestalt therapy goals -The therapist should
in existential philosophy, holism (idea of unified), include moving forward engage the client in a
field theory (idea that it is and increase awareness, dialogue in order to guide
phenomenology and field important to see a client
theory. in their environment
-Developing awareness of because it is usually in
one’s feelings, reactions constant change), figure-
and thoughts in present formation process
situation could resolve (dealing with experiences
personal problems. from time to time), and
-Humans should be able organismic self-regulation
to regulate themselves (process that deals with a
when they know what is client’s equilibrium in
happening in their which it is disturbed by a
environment. need, sensation, or an
-Problems begin when a interest of the client).
person tries to be who or -Contact and Resistances
what he/she isn’t. The to contact- Contact is
more a person tries to be important if change and
who he is not, the more growth are to occur.
he stay the same. Resistance are developed
in coping with life
situations and it refers as
contact boundary
phenomena. Five kinds of
contact boundary
taking ownership in their
experience, develop skills
and values that may
satisfy their needs, accept
responsibility and
consequences for their
actions and be
comfortable in asking and
receiving help from
others.
-Gestalt therapy uses
experiments wherein
therapist suggest ideas to
a client and see if this
works while exercise is a
ready-made technique
that can be used to get to
a certain point in a
session.
-Some of techniques used
include empty chair,
making the round,
reversal exercise,
them into a particular way
of behaving and thinking.
-The clients are active
participants who make
their own interpretation
and meaning in their
experiences and will
decide what they’ll do or
won’t do with their
personal meaning.
-During the therapy, the
client will pass a three-
stage integration
sequence that
characterizes their
growth. These are the
discovery (realization
about themselves),
accommodation
(recognizing that they
have a choice) and
assimilation (learning how

Behavioral Therapy -Humans are the producer
and the product of their
environment.
-They are motivated by
social interest, y striving
toward goals, by
inferiority and superiority
and by dealing with the
task of life.
disturbances include rehearsal exercise, to influence their
introjection, projection, exaggeration exercise, environment).
retroflection, deflection staying with the feeling
and confluence. and the gestalt approach
-The Now- Emphasis on to dream work.
learning to appreciate and
fully experience the
present moment
-Unfinished business that
deals with unexpressed
feeling from the past such
as hatred, pain and guilt.
-There are four areas of - Specific goals are -Client awareness and
Development: Classical identified outset of the participation in the
conditioning, Operant therapeutic process. The therapeutic process are
conditioning, Social client determines what important.
learning theory and behavior will be changed -Therapist teach concrete
Cognitive behavior and therapist determines skills through provision of
therapy how this behavior will be instructions, modeling
- Behavioral therapy is changed. and performance
passed on the principles -Therapists design a feedback while the client
and procedures of the treatment plan that engages in behavioral
scientific method. employs techniques and
Treatment goal is a procedures that would be feedback until skills are
concrete objective to applied to the need of the well learned.
make replications possible clients. Some of the -Clients should be
for interventions. techniques are motivated to change and
-Assumptions of behavior progressive muscle expected to carry out
therapy include: all relaxation, systematic therapeutic activities.
behavior is learned desensitization, in vivo -Clients are encouraged to
(adaptive and exposure and flooding, experiment for the
maladaptive), human eye movement purpose of enlarging their
beings are passive desensitization and repertoire of adaptive
organisms that can be reprocessing, self- behaviors.
conditioned to do management programs
anything, maladaptive and self-directed
behavior can be behavior, and Social Skills
unlearned and replaced training
by adaptive behavior if
the person receives
exposures to specific
stimuli and
reinforcement, behavior
assessment is focused
more on the current
behavior rather than on
 historical antecedents and
treatment strategies are
individually tailored.
Cognitive Behavior -Humans are born with -Focuses on client’s
Therapy both straight and crooked experiences in the present the clients toward their
thinking. -Cognitions affect
-People learn irrational behavior and emotion.
beliefs from significant They can be made aware,
others during childhood monitored and altered.
and then re-create these -A-B-C Framework- A
irrational beliefs (activating), B (Belief) and
throughout their life. C (emotional) that is
useful tool for
understanding the client’s
feeling, thoughts, events
and behavior. D
(disputing) is added at the
end that encompasses
methods that help clients
challenge their irrational
beliefs.
-The therapy would lead -The therapist and client
work together to
destination while understand the existing
minimizing their thought patterns that are
emotional disturbances associated with the
and acquiring more client’s current problem.
realistic, workable and -Clients are encouraged to
compassionate actively work outside
philosophy in life. therapy sessions by
- Some techniques used carrying out behavioral
are Cognitive Methods homework assignments.
such as disputing -Clients would identify
irrational beliefs, doing links between thoughts,
cognitive homework, emotions, behaviors,
bibliotherapy, changing physiology and situations.
one’s language and
psychoeducational
methods; Emotive
Techniques such as
 rational emotive imagery,
humor, role playing and
shame attacking exercise;
and Behavioral
Techniques

Choice Theory/Reality -Humans are not born -Choice theory says that -The goal is to help the -Clients are not asked to
Therapy blank slates waiting to be from birth to death all we clients get connected or backtrack into the past or
externally motivated by ever do in life is behave reconnected with the get sidetracked into
forces in the world. and everything we do is people they have chosen talking about symptoms.
-Choice theory posits that chosen. to put in their quality It gives emphasis on
behavior is central to our -Total Behavior is world and fulfilling all of actions.
existence and is driven by composed of four their needs. - Clients are encouraged
five genetically driven inseparable distinct - This is an active, to assume as much
needs: survival, love, components: acting, directive, and didactic responsibility as possible
belonging, power, and thinking, feelings and therapy. Skillful for meeting their own
freedom physiology that are questioning is a central needs and choosing
-The brain is the control necessary accompany in technique used for the effective behaviors.
center in which is all of the thoughts, duration of the therapy -When the client change
continually monitoring actions and feelings. process. Various what they are doing, the
the feelings and what we -There is no sense talking techniques may be used feelings and thinking are
are doing to satisfy the about what clients can’t to get clients to evaluate changed.
five basic needs control. Instead, it what they are presently
 emphasis is on what
clients can control in the
relationship
-The only behavior an
individual can control is
his or her own.
-Underlying
characteristics of reality
therapy are: Emphasize
choice and responsibility,
reject transference, keep
the therapy in the
present, avoid focusing on
symptoms and challenge
traditional views of
Mental Illness.
Feminist Therapy -Gender-role expectations -There are six principles:
greatly influence a the personal is political
person's identity from and critical consciousness
throughout rest of their (the idea that a problem
life and also influences that a person will bring to
personality as an adult. a therapy session starts
with political or society in
doing to see if they are
willing 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.
-Some of the main goals -Clients are partners
in feminist therapy -Clients explore their
include empowerment, individual identity, find
going for change rather their strengths, and use
than adjusting to what the them to feel more
problem is, social change, powerful in society.
valuing diversity, and
-Gender affects how we which that are in), knowing and keeping -Clients acquire a new
see ourselves whether it commitment to social independence and way of looking at and
be boy or girl throughout change (the concept of interdependence responding to their world.
our entire lives where a therapist aims to separated -Clients should be
-It was thought that most change not only the -It is very important in prepared the changes that
therapies came from individual but also for feminist therapy to help they’ll about to made in
historical period in which social changes also), both male and female viewing the world around
most social arrangements women’s and girl's voices clients recognize their them, way of perceiving
in which were assumed to and ways of knowing are personal power. Feminist themselves and
be rooted in a person's valued and their therapist work especially transformation in
biologically based gender. experiences are honored with female clients to help interpersonal relationship.
Men have always been (says that a female's them get away from the
perceived to be the norm perspective is considered stereotype that they have
up until recently and men central in understanding been use to their entire
and women would always their distress), the life.
choose different things counseling relationship is -The feminist therapist
and paths in life. Men and egalitarian (attention is thinks that race, culture,
women behave differently power in feminist and gender influences
in life so therefore their therapy), a focus on symptoms a client may
actions and reactions to strengths and a have.
thing will be very reformulated definition of - Techniques used include
different. Most therapist psychological distress gender role analysis and
consider feminist therapy (that psychological intervention, power
 to be gender fair and
flexible-multicultural.
Post-modern Approaches -Humans are healthy,
competent, resourceful,
and have the ability to
construct solutions and
alternative stories to
enhance their lives.
- Assume that realities are
socially constructed.
There is no absolute
reality.
distress is nit a disease
but a communication
about unjust system), and
all types of oppression are
recognized (clients are
often understood better
with having a knowledge
of their social
environment and what it
is like).
-Solution-Focused
Therapy grounded on
positive orientation that
people are healthy and
competent. It is not giving
much attention to past
events but highlighting
the present and future.
Basic assumptions
include; people can create
analysis and intervention,
demystifying therapy,
bibliotherapy, journal
writing therapist self-
disclosure, assertive
training, reframing and
labeling, cognitive
restructuring, identifying
and challenging untested
beliefs, role playing
psychodrama tic methods,
group work and social
action.
- Solution-focused therapy Clients recognize their
is designed to be brief, so competencies and build
therapist must shift the on their potential,
focus as soon as possible strengths, and resources.
from talking about Clients are experts about
problems to exploring their own live and guide
solutions. The main them to explore what
technique involves change they would like things to
talk with emphasis on be different, how to make
time in a client’s life when a difference, and what
their own solutions, small the problem was not a signs to indicate the
changes lead to large problem. Some changes are happening.
changes, the client is the techniques used are
expert on his or her own creative use of
life, the best therapy questioning, the miracle
involves a collaborative question and scaling
partnership and a question.
therapist not knowing -Narrative Therapy
afford the client an Therapeutic Process are:
opportunity to construct a collaborate with the client
solution. in identifying the
-Narrative Therapy problem, separate the
involves listening to person from his or her
clients with open mind problem, Investigate how
and encourage them to the problem has been
share their stories. disrupting or dominating
Therapist demonstrates the person, search for
respectful curiosity and exceptions to the
persistence. problem, ask clients to
speculate about what kind
of future they could
expect from the
competent person that is

Family System Therapy views the family as an
emotional unit and uses
systems thinking to
describe the complex
interactions in the unit. It
is the nature of a family
that its members are
intensely connected
emotionally
-Focuses on the here-and-
now interactions in the
family system.
-Holds that individuals are
best understood through
assessing the interactions
between and among
family members.
Family Systems Therapy
has two approaches;
Structural family therapy
that looks at family
relationships, behaviors,
and patterns as they are
exhibited within the
therapy session in order
to evaluate the structure
of the family and Strategic
family therapy that
examines family
emerging and create an
audience to support the
new story.
General movements in -Clients learn way to find
therapy are forming a the problem and solve
relationship, conducting problems that are keeping
an assessment, members stuck and learn
hypothesizing and sharing patterns that have been
meaning and facilitating transmitted from
change. generation to generation.
-Some techniques
depends on the particular
orientation and include
asking questions, joining
the family, restructuring,
enactment and
genograms that can be
experiential, cognitive or
behavioral in nature.
processes and functions,
such as communication or
problem-solving patterns,
by evaluating family
behavior outside the
therapy session.