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The Word

The document discusses the origins and meanings of psychotherapy, emphasizing its role in healing the mind through psychological methods. It distinguishes between psychotherapy and counseling, outlining the focus of counseling on personal development and problem resolution. Additionally, it describes three therapeutic schools: psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, and cognitive-behavioral, each with distinct approaches to therapy and client engagement.

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Yoshita Agarwal
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22 views3 pages

The Word

The document discusses the origins and meanings of psychotherapy, emphasizing its role in healing the mind through psychological methods. It distinguishes between psychotherapy and counseling, outlining the focus of counseling on personal development and problem resolution. Additionally, it describes three therapeutic schools: psychodynamic, humanistic-existential, and cognitive-behavioral, each with distinct approaches to therapy and client engagement.

Uploaded by

Yoshita Agarwal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The word ‘therapy’ is derived from the Greek word therapeia meaning healing .

Literally,
psychotherapy means healing the mind or the soul. Nowadays, most commonly the meaning
of psychotherapy is broadened to become healing the mind by psychological methods which
are applied by suitably trained and qualified practitioners.
Does counselling differ from psychotherapy?
The British Association for Counelling’s Code of Ethics & Practice for Counsellors states that
‘Counselling may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific
problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insight and knowledge,
working through feelings ofinner conflict or improving relationships with others’ (BAG, 1998,
p. 1).

The psychodynamic school: The term ‘psychodynamic’ refers to the transfer of psychic or
mental energy between the different structures and levels of consciousness within people’s
minds. Psychodynamic approaches emphasize the importance of unconscious influences on
how people function. Therapy aims to increase clients’ abilities to exercise greater conscious
control over their lives. Analysis or interpretation of dreams can be a central part of therapy.

The humanistic-existential school: The humanistic school is based on humanism, a system of


values and beliefs that emphasizes the better qualities of humankind and people’s abilities to
develop their human potential. Humanistic therapists emphasize enhancing clients’ abilities
to experience their feelings and think and act in harmony with their underlying tendencies to
actualize themselves as unique individuals. Existential approaches to therapy stress people’s
capacity to choose how they create their existences.

The cognitive-behavioural school: Traditional behaviour therapy focuses mainly on changing


observable behaviours by means of providing different or rewarding consequences. The
cognitive-behavioural school broadens behaviour therapy to incorporate the contribution of
how people think to creating, sustaining and changing their problems. In cognitive-
behavioural approaches, therapists assess clients and then intervene to help them to change
specific ways of thinking and behaving to sustain their problems.

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