Social Work Approaches - Term Paper Example

SWA Social Work Approaches There are a lot of psychotherapy methods used to treat psychological and emotional impairments, but since most psychodynamic forms of therapies are lengthy and more on finding hidden reasons why the patient has maladaptive attitude and behaviour, the following two (2) psychotherapy procedures that will be discussed below are better and less time consuming. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a form of psychotherapy procedure which is used to treat depression. The main focus of this therapy is on current issue and symptoms rather than on the pas history of the patient. Significantly, this type of therapy concentrates on how the individual thinks and behaves at present rather than in the patient’s early childhood experiences that could have brought about the typical behaviour. The approach entails weekly therapy sessions that is coupled with daily practice exercises designed to help patients apply the cognitive behavioural therapy skills which they have learned into their own personal settings or environment. Treatment is short and does not last longer than 16 weeks or 4 months (University of Michigan \depression Centre, 2006). Cognitive behavioural therapy employs three (3) essential features, which are (University of Michigan Depression Centre, 2006): 1) Cognitive restructuring, 2) behavioural activation, and 3) enhancing problem solving skills. Cognitive restructuring focuses on the identification of the maladaptive or erroneous thoughts that makes the patient feel depressed. Usually, the depression is about themselves, their environment and their future. Maladaptive thoughts about themselves include feelings of being worthless or stupid because they cannot get jobs or because they commit mistakes – which in reality are considered petty or small problems. In connection with this, they tend to lose interest and cut back on their customary activities, which an ordinary SWA 2 and normal individual get pleasure from as part of his or her daily existence. Thus, the person concern spends more idle time to focus on distorted thoughts that would eventually pave way for negative emotions. In relation to the foregoing, home settings and the environment in general makes a person feel depressed because he or she perceives being a social outcast. This is why social interactions with the family and with the community become deficient and limited. This makes the person withdrawn and resentful due to the wrong notion that nobody likes him or her. As a consequence, typical home life is disrupted because the individual’s distorted perceptions often culminate in violent reactions, which makes their family members the recipient of physical and psychological abuse that affects and impairs the customary attitude and behaviour of both adults and children within the household. From a depressed individual’s point of view, it is useless to live and strive at present because the future is dark and bleak. It holds no special promise that things will get better. So, during the cognitive restructuring activities, the therapist will outline the patient’s achievements among other things, which will make the patient feel confident to tackle problems, big or small. The second feature of cognitive behavioural therapy is the behavioural activation, wherein patients are encouraged and aided to engage in more enjoyable activities to do away with thoughts that make everyday problems seem insurmountable. As part of their recuperation process, patients are motivated to actively immerse themselves with normal daily activities that are recreational. It is best to include family and friends during said activities to provide a setting of normality. SWA 3 The third feature of behavioural therapy incorporates enhancing problem solving skills. This component engages in providing the patient with specific strategies or steps to solve problems. Here, the therapist will guide the patient from identifying the problem and how to implement possible solutions, which at times, may not totally eradicate the problem but may lessen its impact psychologically and emotionally. Also it helps the patient learn effective self-help skills that will change his or her way of thinking at present (University of Michigan Depression Centre, 2006). Different techniques are employed in cognitive behaviour therapy to aid patients examine their thoughts and change their behaviours (Paula Anne Ford Martin, 2006). The first technique is behavioural home work assignments. This is where the therapists request patients to do home works which contains real-life behavioural experiments that patients are encourage to do the responses that they have learned in their previous therapy sessions. These assignments are usually done in between actual therapy sessions. Another technique employed is cognitive rehearsal where the patient is asked to verbalize a difficult situation and the therapist guides him through the stages of facing and successfully dealing with it. In connection with this the patient must continually rehearsed the steps mentally so he could use them when real problems crop up. Keeping a journal is another way of instigating cognitive behavioural therapy. Patients are required to keep a diary or journal where they write down their thoughts, feelings and actions when specific situations happen. This will make the patient conscious of his or her maladaptive behaviours and the consequences of their actions. Role-playing or modelling is another form of exercise that helps the patient act out SWA 4 particular behaviour and responses to situations by means of role-playing. Conditioning is used to encourage a particular behaviour and reinforce it with a reward or negative consequence. The therapist rewards the patient with something that could be affiliated with approval every time he does something positive that conforms to the desired behavioural output. However, if the reaction toward a certain situation conforms to maladaptive views then the patient suffers the consequence which was agreed on by the patient and therapist before the therapy sessions begun. Systematic desensitization is another form of method applied during cognitive behavioural therapy sessions. This technique helps the patient do relaxing techniques that aid him to cope up with fear and anxiety causing situations. This technique must be reinforced regularly to enable the patient to learn and live with his fears. Validity testing is a method used to test the authenticity or genuineness of automatic thoughts and schemas. Patients are requested to provide evidence that a schema is true. If the patient is unable to produce the required evidence then the therapist explains that the schema is not valid. The following are ten (10) basic irrational assumptions that triggers or sets off maladaptive emotions and behaviours (Paula Anne Ford Martin, 2006). 1. Necessity of love and approval by everyone for virtually nothing. 2. A person must be thoroughly competent, adequate and successful in all respects. 3. People are bad and wicked and should be punished for their sins. 4. It is disastrous when things are not going the way one would like. 5. People cannot rid themselves of negative or ill feelings. SWA 5 6. It okay to be worried or upset about something that is dangerous or fearsome. 7. The past is all important (some cannot move on because of something or someone that has strongly affected their lives). 8. It is easier to avoid difficulties and responsibilities than embark on some form of self-discipline. 9. Perfect solutions must be easily found for all of life’s difficulties. 10. Ultimate happiness can be achieved by living passively and without commitments. The therapist must be able to pinpoint, after a free-talk with the patient what are his or her irrational thoughts so that countermeasures could be successfully implemented. In its entirety, the main goal of cognitive behavioural therapy is to change the patient’s way of thinking along with their behaviour and emotional state. This procedure could be used in most situations where there is a pattern of unwanted behaviour accompanied by distress (Paula Anne Ford Martin, 2006). Individuals who possess maladaptive thoughts and behaviours are the result of having improper reactions to reality. Meaning, the individual reacts to unwanted situation in accordance with his or her distorted viewpoint without realizing that his or her reaction is unreasonable to the point of being dysfunctional. Therefore, to achieve the best results, behavioural therapists who employ the cognitive behavioural approach teach their patients on how to change their way of thinking along with their behaviour. They are also encouraged to actively participate in all planned activities, which reduce their chances of being dependent on the therapist. In most cases, patients who undergo cognitive behavioural therapy learn to replace their maladaptive thoughts and behaviours with positive ones that bring about individual growth and happiness. Ultimately, since cognitive behaviour therapy is practical it SWA 6 helps patients achieve independence and effectiveness in dealing with real life difficulties (Paula Anne Ford Martin, 2006). As for solution focused brief therapy, the therapist guides and helps the patient to discern his strengths and assets, which will help him to cope up with his problems. Furthermore, the patient must know what kind of future he wants for himself. If the future the patient envisions would require that certain changes must be done in order for it to be a reality then he should be willing to change these things so that his dream future could be a reality. Solution focused brief therapy is also a process which is very “brief” in nature since it does not go into the details on how or what caused the problem. It directly pinpoints solutions that could effect the changes needed in order to achieve something that is desired (Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, Brief psychotherapy, page 1). For solution focused brief therapy to be effective, the external and internal resources of the patient must be laid out before him so he could identify the strengths he possess to face problems. Internal resources pertain to the client’s skills, strengths, qualities and beliefs that could aid them in their quest for solutions to their personal dilemmas. External factors are related partners, family, friends, faith or religious and support groups. By combining all these resources patients will feel more confident to tackle the challenges needed to achieve their desired future (Wikipedia, Brief psychotherapy, paragraph 3). To compare and contrast, cognitive behavioural therapy and solution focused brief therapy are effective methods employed to deal with a range of psychological and emotional disorders like phobias, anxieties, depression, etc, that usually leads to negative outcomes such as physical abuse, marital conflicts, etc. Both approaches do not attempt to straighten out the SWA 7 patient’s past or any underlying conscious reasons that may have brought about the aforementioned disorders. Said approaches/methods cater to providing step-by-step measures or procedures on how to deal with the problem at present. Although both methods are short-termed, they are found to be effective due to the efficient and practical nature of its measures used to alleviate problems within a more tolerable level. The main difference of cognitive behavioural therapy and solution focused brief therapy is that the former changes the way an individual’s way of thinking and behaviour by actively conditioning his or her mind-set to a more positive and rational way of thinking. While the latter is more concerned with making a better future for the patient by making him aware of his internal and external resources that will aid him or her in making changes that are necessary. In relation to the case scenario, cognitive behavioural therapy is effective because it will help the family members transform the way they think and behave. Further, its advantage will lie on the activities designed to incorporate the participation of the whole family that will make interaction better and recuperation faster. Moreover, it will foster bonding that will enhance better communication and improve the overall relationship within the family. There might, however, be a limit to the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy implementation or intervention if the members of Mary’s family would like to delve into inner reasons as to why such maladaptive behaviours and thoughts are present within the family. Also, if any member of the family is unwilling to participate with the prescribed activities and assignments which are designed particularly for their benefit. Solution focused brief therapy’s advantage in the aforementioned case scenario lies on the procedure of making each individual family member aware of all their own skills and SWA 8 abilities that could help them change the negative things that are currently happening, should they want a better future. Brief therapy is effective only when the patient with the help of the therapist could remain focus and motivated on establishing goals that are achievable to ensure lasting change. In the implementation of the preceding psychotherapy approaches, discrimination must be avoided at all cost. Treatment must be given equally to all individuals who are in need of help without favouring anyone who might possess a certain attribute (example: sex, age, race, religion, family status, etc.) that the therapist or medical care provider considers better that the rest. Factually speaking, cognitive behaviour therapy and solution brief focused therapy are proven effective methods used to address a wide range of psychological and emotional impairments. Since absolute trust and confidence are bestowed upon the therapists, it is essential that they strictly adhere to ethics and professionalism in the performance of their duties so that they can openly help their patients surpass the difficulties that currently besets them. The variable factors to be considered would be dependent on the willingness of the patient to undergo therapy, and how far he or she will participate in the program to achieve progress and successful treatment. SWA 9 References University of Michigan Depression Centre (2006). Available from http://www.med.umich.edu/depression/cbt.htm [Accessed 25 March 2008] Martin, Paula Anne Ford, (2006). Healthatoz. Gale Encyclopaedia of Medicine. Available from: http://www.healthatoz.com/healthAtoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requiredURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/cognitive-behavioral_therapy.jsp [Accessed 25 March 2008] Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brief_psychotherapy [Accessed 26 March 2008] Brief Therapy Institute of Sydney. Available from: http://www.brieftherapysydney.com.au/aboutbrief.html [Accessed 25 March 2008] Discrimination – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. Redirected from Anti-discrimination. Available from: http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-discrimination.page1 [Accessed 26 March 2008] Read More