Word of The Day - Introjection

Introjection - in-tro-jec-tion (intrəˈjekSHən/) - Introjection is the tendency to uncritically accept other's beliefs and standards with assimilating them to make them congruent with who you are.  To unconsciously accept the ideology, principles, attitudes of others.

Therapy Techniques - Systematic Desensitization

By:  Kimberly Swanson, M.S. – Psychology, CNA

Systematic desensitization is a behavioral therapy that is based on the ideology of classical conditioning.  It is the foundational root of counter conditioning.  This type of therapy technique works on reducing anxiety by linking negative stimuli with positive outcomes (Rosenthal, 2008).   

During the 1950s, Wolpe created systematic desensitization in which the objective is to elevate fear when reacting to a phobia. Often times these phobia reactions are replaced with conditional stimuli eventually leads to counter conditioning (McLeod, 2008).  There are three steps for this type of treatment (McLeod, 2008):

• 1.      Patients learn to do relaxation and breathing exercise (e.g. medication and yoga).
• 2.      Patients develops a fear ranking system starting with the stimuli that creates the least amount of anxiety (fear/stress) and leading up to the things that leads to the highest level of fear (fear through visual imagery).  This step is critical because it provides a foundation for the therapy treatment.
• 3.     Patient works up the levels of rankings and starting with less fearful stimuli through the use of relaxation strategies.  As they overcome one fear level, then they are ready to tackle and conquer the next level.  If clients regressed to lower fear level, then they must repeat the relaxation techniques until they are ready to move forward.

References

McLeod, S. A. (2008). Systematic Desensitization. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/Systematic-Desensitisation.html.

Rosenthal, H.  (2008). Encyclopedia of counseling (3rd Edition).  New York:  Routledge.

Copyright in 2016 by ©Messenger Publishing, Inc.

Therapy Techniques - Family Sculpting (Psychodrama)

By:   Kimberly Swanson, MS-Psy, CNA

Family Sculpting was developed by Duhl, Kantor, and Duhl (1973).   This technique is used when a family member recreates their family system and gives a demonstration of their family relationships during a specific time frame within their life.  The family therapist can use  sculpting by asking family members to physically arrange the family through psychodrama like postures (Rosenthal, 2008).  This is techniques is good for adolescents because it gives them a chance to nonverbally show their perception and emotions about the family.  Family sculpting  is an effective diagnostic instrument that gives the opportunity to expand to further therapeutic interventions (Duhl, Kantor, Duhl, 1973).

Reference

Duhl, F. S., Kantor, D., & Duhl, B. S. (1973). Learning Space and action in family therapy: A primer of sculpting. In D. Bloch (Ed.), Techniques of family psychotherapy: A primer. New York: Grune & Stratton.

Rosenthal, H.  (2008).  Encyclopedia of counseling (3^rd Edition).  New York:  Routledge.

Virginia Satir (Psychotherapist) Bio

By:  Kimberly Swanson, MS-Psy, CNA

Virginia Satir was a psychotherapist who developed and pioneered family therapy. She was born, on June 26, 1916 in Neillsville, Wisconsin.  Satir was the youngest sibling out of thirteen siblings.   She grew up with an alcoholic father (Suarez, 1999).  Suarez (1999) mentions that  that Satir disliked her father’s problems with  alcoholism.

Once Satir graduated from high, she attended Milwaukee State Teachers College and earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1936.  Satir had the opportunity to work at an African American community center called Abraham Lincoln House; she wanted to learn and understand different cultures and ethnicities.  Satir shared her experiences and voiced her views about the racial disparities (King 1990).

After Satir finished her master’s thesis, she earned her master’s degree in 1948.  She then went into  private practice and later accepted a position  with the Illinois Psychiatric Institute.  While at the institute, she taught other therapists the essential need of  focusing in whole family during therapy sessions,  not only for the individual (Good Therapy, 2015).  She identified that the issues of  the clients often times stems from the family.

Satir created a new approach to counseling.  She felt that the client’s dilemma and circumstances were seldom the root of the problem, instead she believed that it was much deeper.  Virginia suggested that mental health issues stemmed from negative family dysfunction and believed that the whole family needs treatment and not just the individual.  Satir developed Transformational Systemic Therapy,  also called Satir Growth Model, which focus on the inner-self, and  examining personal choices and decisions (Good Therapy, 2015).

In 1964, Satir wrote the book Conjoint Family Therapy which focused on  personal self-worth.  With her work, Satir tried to assist individuals in accepting life and having peace and prosperity.  She  inspired clients to incorporate meditation, breath work, positive visualization with their  daily life.  She also recommended affirmations in improving ones self-esteem  (Good Therapy, 2015)

References

Good Therapy.  (2015).  Virginia Satir (1916-1988).  Retrieved from http://www.goodtherapy.org/famous-psychologists/virginia-satir.html

King, L. (1990). Woman Power. Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts.

Suarez, M. M. (1999). A Brief Biography of Virginia Satir. [On-line]. Available http://www.avanta.net/BIOGRAPHY/biography.htm

Word of the Week - SOAP Notes

SOAP Notes – SOAP stands for Subjective Information, Objective Information, Assessments, & Plan. SOAP notes is a type of clinical note format that therapists use as a documenting methodology for tracking their therapy sessions and the progression of their patients.

What is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)?

By:  Kimberly Swanson, MS-Psy, CNA

When it comes to Rational  Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), Albert Ellis (1957, 1962) suggests that individuals holds a certain set of  belief systems that stems from their upbringing, culture, environment and their life experiences.  With these belief systems, it guides people in making life decisions and it becomes a determining factor as to how these individuals reacts to certain situations.

It is believe that some people’s personal beliefs and mindsets can be irrational and may cause them to react in certain unfitting ways; these negative behaviors can prevent them from excelling and achieving their goals.  This dysfunctional behavior is what Dr. Ellis termed irrational assumptions (McLeod, 2015).

There are times when some individuals have the belief system they are not a true success when they don’t have someone to love them; these individuals are continuously looking for acceptance and are constantly rejected.  Due to these rejections, their behaviors begins to reflect their negative beliefs about themselves and they feel unhappy due not receiving affection or reciprocated love in return.

The following are some examples of Ellis’s irrational thinking:

·         You have to be knowledgeable and know everything.

·         Believes that no one has control over their joy and happiness.

·         Believes that your past mistakes rules your present and future circumstances.

·         Believes that you have to find the solution to everything and if you don’t find it everything is in total chaos.

Dr. Ellis believed that individuals often times cling to their irrational thought processing.  Ellis’s REBT therapy incorporates emotive strategies to assist clients in changing their negative way of thinking (McLeod, 2015).

References

Ellis, A. (1957). Rational Psychotherapy and Individual Psychology. Journal of Individual Psychology, 13: 38-44.

Ellis, A. (1962). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. New York: Stuart.

McLeod, S. A. (2015). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-therapy.html

Copyright in 2016 by ©Messenger Publishing, Inc.

What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

By:  Kimberly Swanson, MS-Psy, CNA

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a trauma and stress related disorder.  Trauma stress related conditions are a group of disorders that involves psychological distress followed by anxiety, fear, depressive, anhedonic, or dissociative symptoms, with certain similarities in symptoms and behaviors (e.g. psychological distress) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), 2013).

Symptoms of PTSD

The DSM-5 (2013) states that a critical component to PTSD is the symptoms that may occur after being exposed to one or more traumatic occurrences.  Patients may feel emotional feelings  from the traumatic event (e.g. scared,  horrified, vulnerable) is not in Criterion A because PTSD is clinically varied.  For instance some people may feel scared mostly when having flashbacks of the tragic incident.  Whereas for others,  they may have mostly anhedonic or dysphoric moods with a negative insight of what took place (DSM-5, 2013).

Commonality of  PTSD

According to the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R), it is believed that  the lifetime cases of PTSD within the United States is at 6.8% (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, et, 2005); these figures does not show the gender differences when it comes to the commonality of PTSD (Butcher, Mineka, Hooley, 2013).  The NCS-R outcomes revealed that women have higher cases of  PTSD than men.  Throughout their life span, women were at 9.7% and men were at 3.6%. 

The difference in commonality of gender based PTSD is intriguing, due to some studies showing that males are more prone to  traumatic events (e.g. war and combat) (Tolin & Foa, 2006).  Research has shown that gender differences may be a contributing factor  that women are at a higher risk to certain types of  traumatic experiences (e.g. rape) (Cortina & Kublak, 2006).  Females tend to demonstrate a higher level of PTSD and are prone to having more severe symptoms (Tolin & Foe, 2006).

References

American Psychiatric Association (APA).  (2013).   Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5^th  edition (DSM-5). 

Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S., Hooley, J.M.  (2013).  Abnormal Psychology 15^th edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson Education, Inc. 

Cortina, L.M., Kubiak, S.P.  (2006).  Gender and post-traumatic stress:  Sexual violence as an explanation for women’s increased risk.  Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115, 753-759.

Kessler, R.C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Walters, E.E.  (2005b).  Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distribution of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6):593-602.

Tolin, D.F., & Foe, E.B.  (2006).  Sex differences in trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder:  A quantitative review of 25 years of research.  Psychological Bulletin, 132, 959-992.

Copyright in 2016 by ©Messenger Publishing, Inc.