Wk. 9 Assignment-Psychotherapy Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

Wk. 9 Assignment-Psychotherapy
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Wk. 9 Assignment-Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves a standard treatment based on the relationship between a psychotherapist and the individual seeking treatment. Psychotherapy provides a supportive environment where the psychotherapist allows the individual to share openly through a dialogue. Therefore, a psychotherapist should ensure that they are neutral, objective, and non-judgmental. Psychologists apply psychotherapeutic procedures that are scientifically validated to help their clients develop healthier and more productive habits (Dobson, D., & Dobson, K., 2018). For the case of Levy, he had developed anxiety and traumatic disorders associated with past events while he was on a military mission in Iraq. After ten months of leaving Iraq, he turned into drinking to avoid the memories of watching his colleague die after an explosion. Levy was drinking too much to the point that his wife was not comfortable with his new drinking behavior. His wife could not understand him, but after he mentioned Iraq, she decided to join a program that offers group counseling for similar problems. Therefore, the psychotherapist decided to use cognitive behavior therapy to help Levy heal from his post-traumatic stress disorder.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that uses a practical approach in solving a wide range of psychological problems. CBT is used to treat issues like sleeping difficulties, relationship problems, anxiety, depression, and alcohol or drug abuse (Dobson, D., & Dobson, K., 2018). CBT is based on several principles, which include learned patterns of unhelpful behavior and learning better ways of coping with a psychological problem. The group facilitator used the Exposure Therapy (ET), a type of cognitive behavior therapy, to treat post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed with the patients (Hofmann & Otto, 2017). Therefore, the facilitator exposes Levy and other people in the group to the feared situations in a careful and danger-free procedure. The facilitator chose this approach because it helps the person reduce anxiety and the fear associated with specific events. For instance, he directs Levy to practice breathing calmly to manage his stress, which eventually works out well. If I were a group counselor, I would use the same approach because it is scientifically proven to help patients overcome anxiety-related disorders. Furthermore, exposure therapy helps the affected person approach situations, events, or objects in a safe environment free from distraction or danger.