Psychotherapy Models (Coursework Sample)

Psychotherapy Models Psychotherapy can be defined as the treatment which reduces the mental pain and stress of a person suffering from health issues through interactions with a certified therapist CITATION Bru13 \l 1033 (Wampold, 2013). While dealing with the patients, there are numerous models of psychotherapy which can be adopted. These psychotherapy models fall under three groups. They are Psycho-dynamic Therapy Model Behavioral Therapy Model, and Humanistic Therapy Model. Psycho analysis and psycho dynamic therapies concentrate on the treatment of patients’ behavior by comprehending and altering their sub conscious minds. Behavior psychotherapy model focuses on external behaviors, both normal and abnormal behaviors. Group counseling is based on the behavior model. Humanistic approach concentrates on the innate ability of the people to take logical decisions and this includes cognitive behavioral therapy/interpersonal therapies. It includes Gestalt Theory which is based on ‘organismic holism’ and also existential therapy. Person centered approach belongs to the humanist group. Each model has its own merits and demerits. Modern choices of a particular model of psychotherapy/counseling are case-specific CITATION Amend1 \l 1033 (American Psychological Association, n.d). The counselor uses a method which uses principles from numerous methods, which is referred to as integrated approach CITATION Col97 \l 1033 (Feltham, 1997). This essay will study group counseling and person centered approach (individual counseling) in detail and discuss why group counseling has an edge over person centered approach. Group counseling can be defined as a psychotherapy in which a group of people work with one therapist or a group of therapists CITATION Mon02 \l 1033 (Montgomery, 2002). Group therapy had lost its relevance in the nineteenth century as individualism became more glorified. Modern approaches have changed their attitudes and consider the relationships of individuals important. Joseph H. Pratt. Trigent Burrow and Paul Schilder are the pioneers of Group Counseling. During the Second World War, group therapy was used as a means of therapy by S. H. Foulkes and Wilfred Bren CITATION Yal08 \l 1033 (Yalom & Leszcz, 2008). Group counseling can be effected through talking with other members of the group or through other expressive forms like, drama, art, etc., or through music CITATION Mon02 \l 1033 (Montgomery, 2002). Group treatment was found to be as effective as individual counseling sessions in 75% cases and in fact better in 25% CITATION Mon02 \l 1033 (Montgomery, 2002). Cost-effectiveness of group counseling was significantly lower than individual counseling sessions CITATION Mon02 \l 1033 (Montgomery, 2002). It was seen that group counseling sessions were very effective in combating depression. 48 studies were perused and it was found that about 43 showed reduced symptoms after group counseling sessions CITATION Wil01 \l 1033 (McDermut, Miller, & Brown, 2001). Adult sex abuse survivors who have been abused as children also seem to have profited from group counseling sessions a lot CITATION Kel04 \l 1033 (Callahan, Price, & Hilsenroth, 2004). Patients who have undergone severe trauma also seem to have benefited from group counseling sessions CITATION Nic05 \l 1033 (Kanas, 2005). It can be clearly seen that group counseling sessions provide equal benefits to the patients in a cost-effective manner. Group therapy is highly effective in handling drug/alcohol abuse, depression, HIV/life-threatening illnesses, and violence and eating disorders in youth CITATION Gro06 \l 1033 (Barrowclough, Haddock, Lobban, & Jones, 2006). However, it is not devoid of disadvantages. It is effective only with groups consisting of people with similar problems. The effectiveness of the group therapy depends a lot on the qualities of the facilitator, how he guides the discussion. People crippled with social phobia will not benefit from group therapy. Group therapy can be effective only if the patient has decided to join the group on his own will, else he will be just a passive observer without any contributions to the group or himself CITATION How00 \l 1033 (Roback, 2000). Patient-Centered Therapy (PCT) which is a type of individual counseling method was introduced by Carl Rogers in 1950s. It was based on the concept of individualism, where the individual is aware of his innate self, his moods, feelings and awareness of these factors. Six factors identified by Rogers for effecting personality changes are relationship between the patient/client and the counselor/therapist, mental status of the client (anxiety, stress, etc.), genuineness of the counselor, counselor’s perception of the client, client’s perception of counselor and finally the feelings empathy. Any progress made by the client is his achievement through his efforts. A lot will depend on the therapist, his transparency and willingness to relate with the client and also to empathize with him. CITATION Car50 \l 1033 (Rogers, 1950). Patient-Centered Therapy offers numerous advantages. It enables release of distress elements from the client’s system. It gives a sense of self-worth and importance to the client. Rather than letting the patient dwell in the past, patient-centered approach enables the patient to live in the present, forget about the past and worry about the future. It enables self-development, thereby encouraging the patient to evolve into a better human being CITATION Ste13 \l 1033 (Joseph & Murphy, 2013). It also enables the patient to be absolutely transparent with what he is feeling inside and come forth with all intimate details about him. However, the success will depend on the competence of the therapist, his sincerity, openness, and empathy CITATION Kyl14 \l 1033 (Arnold, 2014). The major disadvantage of Rogerian theory is that, it believes that human beings possess capabilities and are innately good, which is not always true. Unconditional positive regard from the therapist on wrong intentions can have devastating effects. Also, how much the therapist is able to give freehand to the patient is also relative. It is costly and is mostly effective in cases where the patient has encountered very deep traumas CITATION Har06 \l 1033 (Harvard Health Publications , 2006). The essay has discussed group therapy and patient centered therapy in detail and also its advantages and disadvantages. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages and will give better results depending on the case or the condition of the patients. This essay will further analyze some more studies and provide a comparative analysis of group and person-centered approaches. The strong point of group therapy is that it involves three factors: individual dynamics, interpersonal dynamics and group dynamics. Group therapy includes many principles of person centered approach also. In group therapy, there is a group leader who interacts with every member of the group. The group leader is responsible to effectively integrate the emotional, stress and insecurities of all the members of the group. The presence of excellent camaraderie is an essential element for the effectiveness of group therapies CITATION The07 \l 1033 (The American Group Psychotherapy Association, 2007). As per Yalom and Leszez (2005), group therapy works as members believe that all the other members of the group are also tackling similar issues. People have innate goodness to help each other. People like sharing information. Individuals are social animals and hence they like to communicate and share problems especially with people who have similar issues. They have discussions which will help them release a lot of frozen emotions. They can improve through the other members’ feedback. Finally, the group activity enables the self-development. CITATION The07 \l 1033 (The American Group Psychotherapy Association, 2007) Human beings have to finally function in sync with other individuals and hence being in group while healing will give them more confidence to tackle real life situation even after the therapy is over. When a group therapy ends, there is a continuous positive reinforcement of the changes that have evolved through the therapy. Therapist can finally guide the patient to be strong and face future demands and world through his interactions with the therapist and other peers in the group CITATION The07 \l 1033 (The American Group Psychotherapy Association, 2007). There have been numerous studies which have proven that group therapy is very beneficial when dealing with people who have undergone the trauma of disasters. Victims of Tsunami disaster at Nagapatanam , Tamilnadu, India, and victims of bomb blast at Dhimajee in Assam got immense psychological relief through group therapy CITATION Mah10 \l 1033 (Maheshwari, Yadav, & Singh, 2010). Group therapy in these cases enabled victims to learn from other victims, imbibe their pain and provide support to them and move forth. Another study has shown that in the case of battered women, group and individual therapies had to be used conjointly to derive benefits. However, it was found that group cognitive behavioral therapy was more effective than individual behavioral therapy. CITATION Enr13 \l 1033 (Echeburúa, Sarasua, & Zubizarreta, 2013). All the cases discussed above display the advantages of group therapy. Individual therapy is advantageous in some cases. However, it can be seen that most of the times, when individuals are considered as the masters of their emotions, and then it might create confusions in their lives. At times, the person assumes that he is fine, but seems to encounter problems when he is left amidst a group of people. Group therapy enables the patient to deal with people in an effective manner. When dealing with people tackling schizophrenia, it was seen that though medicines were required, group ...