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Introduction
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This section is intended to describe the general area of psychological techniques that are applied in psychiatric and general medical practice to relieve the suffering of the patient. The subject is an important one, but is often confused by a plethora of terms, some of which may have different meanings in different settings. Thus, words like "counselling" or "psychotherapy" can be used to refer to all forms of psychological intervention. However, counselling also refers to a specific form of "client centred" treatment devised by Carl Rodgers and psychotherapy is often taken to be synonymous with forms of treatment derived from psychoanalytic models of understanding human behaviour. A knowledge of the precise meanings of such terms is less important than an understanding of the principles involved. It is the latter which forms the aim of this section, so that students may have guidelines for rational decision making regarding the appropriateness of particular forms of treatment for patients.
There are several features which are common to all forms of psychological therapy:
- An intense confiding relationship
- They take place in a healing setting (surgery, clinic, community mental health centre)
- They are founded on rationales of therapy (model of understanding normal/abnormal behaviour or states of mind)
- They involve a therapeutic procedure.
Good therapists share several characteristics, most of which have to be developed through practise and training.
- Accurate empathy refers to the therapist’s ability to perceive what the patient is experiencing.
- Positive regard is the attitude of respect to the patient as a person, which underlies a good therapeutic relationship.
These qualities are also important for the development of good doctor/patient relationships in all settings.
broad "types" of therapy and patient selection...>>
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