Individual psychotherapy

2. Individual therapy
Presented by:-
Archana Tripathy
1st year M.sc Nursing

3. INTRODUCTION
 Individual therapy is a psychotherapy
implemented by a trained professional,
usually a therapist or psychologist, to
help a client work through a problem.
 The ways that individual therapy is
implemented varies widely depending
upon the psychological problem
experienced by the client, the personal
beliefs and practices of the therapist,
and the individual needs of the client.

4. MEANING:-
 Individual therapy is a joint process
between a therapist and a person in
therapy. Common goals of therapy can be
to inspire change or improve quality of life.
 Individual therapy is also called
psychotherapy, psychosocial therapy, talk
therapy, and counseling.
 This therapy can help people overcome
obstacles to their well-being. It can
increase positive feelings, like self-esteem.
People in therapy can learn skills for
handling difficult situations, making healthy
decisions, and reaching goals.

5. DEFINITION:
 Individual therapy (sometimes called “psychotherapy”
or “counseling”) is a process through which clients
work one-on-one with a trained therapist—in a safe,
caring, and confidential environment—to
 explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors,
• identify aspects of their lives that they would
like to change,
•better understand themselves and others, &
•set personal goals of their life.

6. PURPOSE OF INDIVIDUAL
THERAPY
Therapy is conducted on one-to-one basis, i.e.
the therapist treats one patient at a time.
Such therapy helps to:-
 Understand themselves and their behaviour.
 Make personal changes.
 Improve interpersonal relationships.
 Get relief from emotional pain or unhappiness.

7. INDICATION OF INDIVIDUAL
THERAPY
This therapy can treat specific, diagnosable
mental health conditions such as :-
 ADHD(Attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder )
 Depression and anxiety.
 Powerful emotions or strong emotion
 Building self-esteem.
 Trauma.
 Addictions.

8. Cont.….
 Parent-child conflict.
 Eating and body issues.
 Stress related disorders,
 alcohol and drug dependence,
 sexual disorders and
 Marital disharmony.

9. TYPES OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
1. Psychoanalysis-
Psychoanalytical therapy was developed by Sigmund
Freud.
It focus on unconscious forces such as repressed
emotions & memories, internal conflicts & childhood
trauma on mental life & adjustment of the individual.
The aim of therapy is to bring all repressed emotions
and experiences to conscious awareness, so that the
patient can work towards a healthy resolution of his
problems, which are causing the symptoms.

10. Cont…
 Psychotherapy is used primarily in
bringing about basic modification in the
personality. This is done by establishing a
constructive therapeutic relationship.

11. 2. Hypnosis-
 the induction of a state of
consciousness in which a person
apparently loses the power of
voluntary action and is highly
responsive to suggestion or
direction. Its use in therapy,
typically to recover suppressed
memories or to allow modification
of behavior,

12. Cont…
 It induced in a patient by suggestions of
relaxation & concentrating attention on a single
object.
 The client becomes highly suggestible, submissive
& response to therapist influence.
 He can be induced to recall forgotten events,
becomes insensitive to pain, gain relief from
tension, anxiety & other psychological symptoms.
 It affects behavioral change & control of attitude.

13. Changes that occur during
hypnosis:
The person becomes highly suggestible to
the commands of the therapist.
There is an ability to produce or remove
symptoms or perceptions.
Amnesia for the events that occurred during
the hypnotic state.

14. 3. Abreaction-
 Abreaction is a process by which repressed
material, particularly a painful experience or
conflict is brought back to consciousness.
 Abreaction, the dramatic reliving of traumatic
events under hypnosis, is a powerful
therapeutic intervention useful in the
treatment of victims of trauma.
 It is most useful in acute neurotic conditions
caused by extreme stress (Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder(PTSD) like terrorist
incidents, serious accidents, or physical or
sexual assault in adult or childhood, etc).

15. Cont…
METHODS:-
 Abreaction can be brought about by
strong encouragement to relieve the
stressful events.
 The procedure is begun with neutral
topics at first, & gradually approaches
area of conflict.
 Abreaction can be done with or
without the use of medication.

16. 4. Reality therapy-
 Reality therapy (RT) is an approach to
psychotherapy and counseling, Developed by
William Glasser in the 1960s.
 This is a psycho therapeutic technique which focuses on the
present behavior & development of patient’s ability to cope with
the stress of reality & take a greater responsibility for the
fulfillment of his needs.

17. CONT…
 To achieve these purposes the therapist
becomes involved in an active
relationship with patient, rejects his
unrealistic behavior & teaches better
ways to meet his need in the real world.
 The patient need to be stressed on that
the past cannot be changed, so he must
take responsibility of right or wrong
actions of present.

18. 5. Uncovering-
 This technique is used to break through the
patient’s repressed conflict and The patient
explores different methods to cope with problem.
It helps the patient in gaining an insight.
 The patient explores different methods to cope
with problem, once he gain an insight into his
conflict or problem.

19. 6. Supportive Psychotherapy-
 The therapist helps the patient to
relieve emotional distress.
 It is a form of “surface therapy”.
 The therapist reinforces the
existing defenses used by the
client symptoms without probing
in to past or attempting to
change or alter the basic
personality of the individual.

20. APPROACH OR TECHNIQUES
 There are four main approaches to individual therapy which include
psychodynamics therapy, humanistic therapy, behavioral therapy
and cognitive therapy.
A. PSYCHODYNAMICS THERAPY:-
is primarily based on psychoanalytic theory, the assumption that
when a patient has insight into early relationships and experiences as
the source of his or her problems they can be resolved.

21. CONT…
B.HUMANISTIC THERAPY:-
centres on the patients view of the world and his or her
problems. The goal is to help patients realize their full potential
through the therapist’s genuineness, unconditional positive regard,
which fosters the patient’s sense of self worth and empathetic
understanding of the patient’s point of view. This therapy is
nondirective but focuses on helping the patient to explore and clarify
his or her own feelings and choices.

22. CONT…
C. BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
does not foster awareness but emphasizes the principles of learning
with positive and negative reinforcement and observational modelling.
D. COGNITIVE THERAPY
focuses on identifying and correcting distorted thinking patterns that
can lead to emotional distress and problem behaviours. Cognitive therapists
believe that patients change their behaviours by changing their maladaptive
thinking about themselves and their experiences. Patients are taught problem
solving skills and stress reducing methods. They learn that their psychological
difficulties or problems can be solved through cognitive processing.

23. GOAL OF INDIVIDUAL THERAPY
In every type of psychotherapy, the psychologist will help you develop specific
goals for the therapy. This will include a broad overall goal as well
as more focused goals that may change from session to session.
 The therapist will also help you to:
A. Identify coping strategies :- These may be coping strategies that have
helped in the past. The psychologist will teach to adapt these strategies to the
current situation. If the coping strategies have been unsuccessful in the past,
the therapist will guide in the development of new ones.

24. Cont…
B. Rearrange life priorities:-
Sometimes people have psychological problems
because they have an irrational expectation of themselves
and others. This increases the pressure on everyone and can
lead to stress, anxiety and depression. By rearranging the
expectations and priorities you may be able to avoid
unnecessary stress.

25. CONT….
C. Focus on meaningful pursuits.
D. Identify personal strengths:
Sometimes during times of psychological
crisis it is easy to focus on the weaknesses and what
you do not have, instead of the strengths and the
wonderful things one do have. Psychologists will
draw the attention to positive aspects about oneself,
and help you rediscover and bring them out again.
This will help to believe in oneself.