Third-Wave Approaches and Traditional Psychological Interventions
This paper should be 8-9 pages double spaced and should reference at least 10-12 peer reviewed journal articles. The goal of this paper is to select one of the third wave approaches (DBT, ACT, MI), contrast it to another therapeutic approach (traditional CBT or any other orientation of your choice), and discuss its application to a certain disorder and population of your choosing.
Grading is based on the following rubric:
a) Reference at least 10-12 journal articles throughout your paper. Avoid describing each article in detail. Instead, use the articles to support your statements about your treatment approach. Include a list of references in APA format.
b) You must name and briefly describe the core features of the third wave approach you chose for this paper (2 pages)
c) Compare and contrast the third wave approach to one other approach. This can be a different therapeutic orientation altogether or a more traditional CBT approach. Be sure to reference journal articles (preferably Randomized Controlled Trials) that compare these different approaches and summarize the key findings. (This should be the largest section of your paper 4-5 pages).
d) Describe how your treatment of choice could be beneficial for a diverse or underserved population. Once again, reference a journal article that may have adapted your approach to an underserved or diverse population. Be sure to summarize the key findings regarding the efficacy of your approach for this population. (2 pages)
e) Conclusion: Use your critical thinking skills to summarize what you learned, and offer any insights about your third wave approach, most effective applications to certain populations or presenting concerns, and how we may further study this approach in the future or increase access and application to diverse groups. (1 page)
Third-wave and Traditional Psychological Interventions
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Third-wave and Traditional Psychological Interventions
Context-based and third-wave approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) improve people’s psychological flexibility constructs to enhance new behavior and health patterns. Similarly, traditional psychological interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) promote positive health patterns by addressing specific individualized needs. This paper analyzes and contrasts CBT and ACT approaches and highlights the significance of ACT in special needs children and their parents.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ACT treatment approach enables people to connect with their present times with more mindfulness, acceptance, and consciousness. Zhang et al. (2018) explained that ACT fosters and maintains health and behavioral changes in the long term since people can incorporate committed actions consistent with individual values while acknowledging and accepting possible opposing rules, thoughts, or emotions that could influence their behaviors. Additionally, ACT psychological intervention instills acceptance and mindfulness-based skills to regulate behavioral patterns rather than altering challenging feelings or thoughts (Hayes et al., 2013). The six core features of ACT promote psychological flexibility and health actions that align with the individual’s values. Defusion, a vital ACT process, occurs when an individual utilizes function-changing techniques and cues to reduce the changing of stimuli functions into challenging or undesired behaviors (Dindo et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2018). Conversely, acceptance fosters a willingness to accept unwanted dysfunctional aspects like feelings and behaviors without regulating, controlling, or avoiding them (Zhang et al., 2018). ACT psychological intervention also helps people to connect and contact their present environment, demands, and moments without agonizing about future possibilities or past experiences (Dindo et al., 2017; Hayes et al., 2013). ACT also enables people to adopt a self-as-concept dimension to look at and analyze their behaviors from a positive and consistent viewpoint (Zhang et al., 2018). As a result, they can recognize negative verbal descriptions of self and personal behaviors, improving their quality of life due to fewer threats associated with negative thoughts about the self. In addition, people should use chosen values regarding ongoing behavior patterns to reinforce task persistence and increase a sense of direction toward the desired health behaviors (Zhang et al., 2018). The ACT approach also guides people to acquire committed actions that expand their valued responses into significant activity patterns. Individuals can achieve desired health behaviors by committing to the intended goals and aligning with pre-established values (Dindo et al., 2017). Consequently, the ACT intervention enhances positive health behaviors.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
CBT is a goal-oriented, structured, and didactic approach that involves a therapist and patient’s collaborative and practical involvement to modify patterns of challenging behaviors and thoughts, enhancing a positive change in the patient's life and mood (Chand et al., 2023). The therapist first assesses the patient and starts creating their individualized conceptualization, which they develop in every session and share with the client later in the therapy. The client and the therapist collaborate to create the intended goals and identify and prioritize the problems of concern. Chand et al. (2023) explained that the therapist always starts by checking and updating the patient's mood in every session. The therapist then establishes continuity of the sessions by bridging the gap from the previous session. Afterward, the patient and the therapist decide on the session's agenda, and the therapist reviews the patient's homework before