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Block 3 Unit 4 Psychotherapy Integration

1) What is integrative psychotherapy?

Integrative psychotherapy combines concepts and interventions from more than one theoretical approach to psychotherapy. It is not a specific combination of theories, but rather a framework for developing an integration of theories that are appealing and useful for working with clients. Integrative psychotherapy seeks to enhance the efficacy, efficiency, and applicability of psychotherapy by looking across different theoretical boundaries.

2) Describe the characteristics of integrative psychotherapy.

Characteristics of integrative psychotherapy include:

• Dissatisfaction with single-school approaches and a desire to learn from other approaches.
• A framework for developing an integration of theories that are appealing and useful for working with clients.
• Openness to various ways of integrating diverse theories and techniques.
• A safe environment for the exploration of body, mind, emotion and spirit, and their impact on health, personal fulfilment and relationships.
• Flexibility to meet the needs of clients with different presenting issues from a range of cultural contexts.

3) What is EMDR? Explain

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing, which is a therapeutic method developed for healing many types of psychological distress including past or recent trauma, self-esteem issues, creativity blocks, complex unresolved grief, violent crime, combat experiences, and performance anxiety. It is also used to enhance performance, build self-confidence and inner resiliency.

4) Elucidate the EFT technique.

EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, "often works where every other treatment fails" and helps with "virtually every physical and emotional problem that one can think of".

5) Present the historical overview of integrative psychotherapy movement.

The historical overview of the integrative psychotherapy movement includes:

• Early stages: Rivalry and competition between different schools of thought hampered integration. Conflicts can be traced back to Freud and his disciples.
• Attempts at combining theories: Dollard and Miller combined learning theory with psychoanalysis. Paul Wachtel published "Psychoanalysis and Behaviour Therapy: Toward an Integration". James Prochaska offered a trans-theoretical approach.
• The Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI) was formed in 1979.
• Journals dedicated to integration: The International Journal of Eclectic Psychotherapy (later named the Journal of Integrative and Eclectic Psychotherapy) began publication in 1982, followed by The Journal of Psychotherapy Integration in 1991.
• Current trends: A decline in the "ideological cold war" among the various schools of psychotherapy, and a growing movement towards a single “generic” family therapy.

6) Elucidate the variable responsible for the growth of integrated psychotherapy.

Variables responsible for the growth of integrated psychotherapy include:

• Proliferation of separate counselling theories and approaches: This created a shift away from factionalism and competition towards dialogue and cooperation.
• Recognition of the limitations of single-school approaches:.
• Research identifying common factors related to successful therapy outcomes: Therapists began to recognize common factors across therapeutic schools.
• Development of professional organizations, networks, conferences, and journals dedicated to the discussion and study of psychotherapy integration.
• A movement toward integration rather than allegiance to a single therapeutic approach.

7) What are the ways to integrate psychotherapy?

Ways to integrate psychotherapy include:

• Technical eclecticism: Choosing techniques based on efficacy.
• Theoretical integration: Bringing together theoretical concepts from disparate approaches.
• Assimilative integration: Grounding oneself in one system but selectively incorporating practices from other systems.
• Common factors approach: Focusing on common factors that contribute to successful therapy outcomes.
• Multi-theoretical approaches: Using a framework for applying two or more theories.
• Helping skills approach: Using a model with different stages based on different schools of therapy.

8) Differentiate between eclectic therapy and integrative therapy.

Differences between eclectic and integrative therapy:

• Eclectic therapists choose techniques based on efficacy, without a need for a theoretical basis, or investigation of why a specific technique works. They focus on "what works", and rely on empiricism and statistical analysis.
• Integrative therapists investigate why techniques work and adhere to a set of guiding theoretical principles. They seek to understand the "how and why" of client change, and are concerned not only with what works but why it works.
• Integrative therapy is a methodical attempt to bring theories and practices together, while eclecticism is more of an ad hoc approach.

9) What is meant by assimilating integrations?

Assimilative integration is an approach where a therapist grounds themselves in one system of psychotherapy, but with a view toward selectively incorporating (assimilating) practices and views from other systems. Therapists using this approach tend not to eliminate their original theoretical framework, but instead add techniques and different ways of viewing individuals.

10) Explain common factor approach in Integrated Psychotherapy.

The common factors approach in integrated psychotherapy is influenced by the work of Jerome Frank and Carl Rogers. It focuses on the core conditions necessary for client change, such as empathy, therapeutic alliance, and the relationship between therapist and client.

11) Discuss multi theoretical approach.

Multi-theoretical approaches do not attempt to synthesize two or more theories at a theoretical level. Instead, they bring "some order to the chaotic diversity in the field of psychotherapy" and preserve the insights of major systems of psychotherapy. The goal of these approaches is to provide a framework for using two or more theories. Examples include the transtheoretical model and Brooks-Harris’s multitheoretical model.

12) Explain Brooke Harris Multi theoretical approach to integrative psychotherapy.

Brooks-Harris's multi-theoretical approach integrates cognitive, behavioural, experiential, bio-psychosocial, psychodynamic, systemic, and multicultural approaches. It is based on the premise that thoughts, actions, and feelings interact, and are influenced by biological, interpersonal, systemic, and cultural contexts. It emphasizes at what point a therapist might consider using elements of different theories, and it offers five principles for psychotherapy integration: intentional integration, multidimensional integration, multitheoretical integration, strategy-based integration, and relational integration.

13) Discuss the difference between technical eclecticism and assimilative integration.

The difference between technical eclecticism and assimilative integration is that:

• Technical eclecticism is when therapists use techniques from various therapeutic approaches without concern for the theories they originate from. It focuses on what works.
• Assimilative integration involves a therapist being grounded in one theoretical framework, but selectively incorporating practices and views from other systems. Therapists add techniques and different ways of viewing individuals, but do not eliminate the core theoretical framework.

14) What are the arguments in favour of evidence based psychotherapy in practice?

Arguments in favour of evidence-based psychotherapy include:

• Clients have a right to treatments that have been proven to be effective.
• Managed care requires accountability in choosing a method of treatment.
• It emphasizes results of experimental comparisons to document the efficacy of treatments.
• Therapists must consult research studies to determine the most efficacious approach for a specific disorder.

15) What does future hold for psychotherapy schools?

The future of psychotherapy schools appears to be moving toward more integration. Experts predict that the following theoretical schools will increase the most: cognitive-behaviour therapy, culture-sensitive multicultural counselling, Beck's cognitive therapy, interpersonal therapy, family systems therapy, behaviour therapy, technical eclecticism, solution-focused therapy, and exposure therapies. Graduate schools are predicted to adopt an integrative approach to psychotherapy training.