Psychological Treatment
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Types of Treatment
There are many different types of treatment for psychological disorders, all of which fit into three broad types: insight therapies, behavior therapies, and biomedical therapies.
- Insight therapies involve complex conversations between therapists and clients. The aim is to help clients understand the nature of their problems and the meaning of their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Insight therapists may use a variety of approaches, including psychodynamic, cognitive, or humanistic.
- Behavior therapies also involve conversations between therapists and clients but attempt to directly influence maladaptive behaviors. Behavior therapies are based on learning principles. (See Chapter 7 for more information on learning.)
- Biomedical therapies involve efforts to directly alter biological functioning through medication, electric shock, or surgery.
