Therapeutic Approaches
Types of therapy and clinical formulation
Compare psychodynamic, behaviour and existential therapies on cause, method and benefit.
There are three broad groups of psychotherapy:
- Psychodynamic therapy: the first to emerge, from Freud's psychoanalysis.
- Behaviour therapy (often combined with cognitive therapy).
- Existential (humanistic) therapies: called the 'third force' in psychology.
They differ in what they think causes problems, what they do, and what benefit they aim for:
| Psychodynamic | Behaviour (and cognitive) | Existential / humanistic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cause | intrapsychic conflicts: hidden conflicts in the mind | faulty learning and faulty thinking | questions about meaning and purpose in life |
| Method | free association and dream interpretation | changing the contingencies (what rewards behaviour) and changing thoughts | an accepting, warm climate for self-exploration |
| Benefit | emotional insight into one's conflicts | more adaptive behaviour | personal growth |
| Duration | years (classical analysis) | a few months | a few months |
Clinical formulation: every therapy begins by understanding the client's problem. The therapist forms a picture of:
- what the problem is and how it developed;
- which target areas to work on;
- which techniques to use.
It gives therapy a clear plan. It is not fixed: it may be revised as therapy goes on and the therapist learns more.
So different theories lead to different therapies.
Different theories, different therapies.
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