Page 236 - DEDU502_GUIDANCE_AND_COUNSELING_ENGLISH

Guidance and Counseling

Notes There are different types of psychotherapies. Each therapy has different porcedures, different stages
we will discuss the process of different therapies.
21.2.1 Behavior therapy
Behavior therapy is focused on helping an individual understand how changing their behavior can
lead to changes in how they are feeling. The goal of behavior therapy is usually focused on increasing
the person’s engagement in positive or socially reinforcing activities. Behavior therapy is a structured
approach that carefully measures what the person is doing and then seeks to increase chances for
positive experience. Common techniques include :
Self-Monitoring : This is the first stage of treatment. The person is asked to keep a detailed log of
all of their activities during the day. By examining the list at the next session, the therapist can see
exactly what the-person is doing.
Example : Suresh, who is being seen for depression, returns with his self-monitoring list for the past
week. His therapist notices that it consists of Bill going to work in the morning, returning home at
5:30 p.m. and watching television uninterrupted until 11 p.m. and then going to bed.
Schedule of Weekly Activities : This is where the patient and therapist work together to develop
new activities that will provicle the patient with chances for positive experience.
Example : Looking at his self-monitoring sheet, Bill and his therapist determine that watching so
much television alone gives little opportunity for positive social interaction. Therefore, they decide
that Bill will have dinner out with a friend once a week after work and join a bowling league.
Role Playing : This is used to help the person develop new skills and anticipate issues that may
come up in social interactions.
Example : One of the reasons that Sures stays home alone so much is that he is shy around people.
He does not know how to start a conversation with strangers. Bill and his therapist work on this by
practicing with each other on how to start a conversation.
Behavior Modification : In this technique the patient will receive a reward for engaging in positive
behavior.
Example : Suresh wants a new fishing rod. He and his therapist set up a behavior modification
contract where he will reward himself with a new fishing rod when he reduces his TV watching to
one hour a day and becomes involved in three new activities.
21.2.2 Cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy is beased on the theory that much of how we feel is determined by what we
think. Disorders, such as depression, are believed to be the result of faulty thoughts and beliefs. By
correcting these inaccurate beliefs, the person’s perception of events and emotional state improve.
Research on depression has shown that people with depression often have inaccurate beliefs about
themselves, their situation and the world. A list of common cognitive errors and real life examples
is listed below :
• Personalization : relating negative events to oneself when there is no basis.
Example : When walking down the hallway at work, John says hello to the company CEO. The
CEO does not respond and keeps walking. John interprets this as the CEO’s lack of respect for
him. He gets demoralized and feels rejected. However, the CEO’s behavior may have nothing
to do with John. He may have been preoccupied about an upcoming meeting, or had a fight
with his wife that morning. If John considered that the CEO’s behavior may not be related to
him personally, he is likely to avoid this negative mood.
• Dichotomous Thinking : seeing things as black and white, all or none. This is usually detected
when a person can generate only two choices in a situation.

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