Humanistic Therapy Research Articles

The Application of Psychological Therapies in Addressing Adolescent Disengagement from School.

The issue of adolescent aversion to school not only affects their academic performance but can also lead to psychological health problems. This article reviews the application of several psychological therapies in addressing the problem of adolescent aversion to school, including mindfulness therapy, sandplay therapy, life review method, adaptive psychological counseling, and humanistic therapy.

느린 학습자의 자존감 향상을 위한 인문치료 사례연구

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of humanistic therapy to improve the self-esteem of slow learners. The subjects of this study were slow learner adolescents in the first year of a specialized high school, who were experiencing problems such as academic sluggishness, psychological atrophy, peer relationship inadequacy, and school life inadequacy. The study explored the process of change through the application of a humanistic therapy program over 30 sessions. The results of this study were as follows First, she showed positive changes in expressing their feelings and thoughts through emotional writing and therapeutic writing. Second, she showed academic changes, such as improving their presentation skills in class through activities such as reading literary short texts such as poems and essays and non-literary texts from textbooks slowly and repeatedly out loud. Third, she was attitudinal changes in life, such as recognizing the extent of school progress and saying no to friends. Humanistic therapy had a positive effect on the student's emotional changes, self-disclosure, and relationship improvement, and served as a medium to help improve the main complaints of the subject.

A review of selected psychotherapies for PTSD, their efficacy and treatment guidelines in adults.

Around 2.5% of Poles will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their lifetime. Recent events, i.e. the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, are the factors that will increase the number of people dealing with PTSD. Owing to that, this paper aims to review and familiarise readers with the available scientific evidence on psychotherapies of PTSD provided in Poland. A review of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and a review of the most recent treatment guidelines concerning PTSD. The best available evidence points to high efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) with prolonged exposure and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Humanistic therapy also proves effective to a certain degree, but not as effective as therapies that use exposure to stimuli and memories associated with trauma. There is no evidence of the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy and methods based on polyvagal theory. Organisations preparing guidelines recommend primarily CBT and EMDR. Efficacious treatment of PTSD should include a protocol with a component of exposure to trauma-related memories and stimuli. It is recommended to use such therapies in the psychotherapeutic treatment of PTSD.

The Effectiveness of a Counseling Program Based on Humanistic Therapy to Reduce Situational Remorse, Guilt and Pessimism among a Sample of Students of Disintegrated Families

The current study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of a counseling program based on humanistic therapy to reduce situational remorse, guilt and pessimism among a sample of students of disintegrated families. The sample of the study consisted of (26) students. Measurements for situational remorse, guilt and pessimism were developed. The validity and reliability of their psychometric characteristics were verrified, and a counseling program based on the humanistic theory was built. The results of the study showed that there were statistically significant differences in the ranks of the mean scores of feelings of situational remorse, guilt and pessimism in the experimental group in the post-measurement compared with the control group, and that there are no differences between the mean scores of the experimental group in the post and follow-up measurements in the scale of situational remorse, guilt and pessimism. The study came out with some recommendations, including the need to use the current counseling program in helping students to reduce each of the students' feelings of situational remorse, guilt and pessimism.

Emosjonsfokusert terapi

Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) is rooted in the humanistic psychotherapy tradition. A core assumption in EFT is that our life experiences are organised in emotion schemes. For instance, problematic childhood experiences that are not processed can form what are typically referred to as maladaptive emotion schemes, continuing to influence us later in in life. The goal in EFT is to activate, process and change maladaptive emotion schemes. Such a change process typically occurs through an emotional sequence, moving from secondary emotions (e.g., depressive hopelessness) through primary maladaptive emotions (e.g., maladaptive shame) to adaptive emotions (e.g., assertive anger). This sequence is termed changing emotion with emotion, and builds on substantial process research. In this article, we will describe from an EFT perspective how psychological illness arises and which conditions are necessary for it to change. We will give an account of the empirical foundation for the model and illustrate some specific interventions using the case of ‘Nadine’. Keywords: Emotion-Focused Therapy, transdiagnostic therapy, humanistic therapy, experiential therapy

Prolonged grief disorder treatment: An approach to COVID-19 grief

Background. It has been estimated that COVID-19 grief will affect approximately sixteen million people worldwide, while the prevalence of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) could rise to 40%. Objective. To review treatments that can be administered to patients with PGD due to COVID-19. Method. PUBMED and Google Scholar were searched with the following keywords: prolonged grief disorder, complicated grief, grief and psychotherapy, and treatment of prolonged grief, complicated grief or persistent complex grief. Results. Fifty articles were reviewed on the efficacy of interpersonal therapy, rational emotional-behavioral therapy, supportive therapy, humanistic therapy, systemic family therapy, group therapy, writing therapy, Internet-based intervention, and a modality of cognitive behavioral therapy used with prolonged grief, metacognitive therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Discussion and conclusion. There is no consensus on the psychotherapeutic treatment of choice for people with PGD due to the loss of a family member to COVID-19. Group therapy is effective in reducing the intensity of uncomplicated grief, cognitive-behavioral therapy is highly efficacious in reducing the severity of grief, metacognitive therapy specifically designed for PGD has a positive impact on depression, anxiety, stress, rumination, and quality of life while Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is helpful for restoring spirituality. Psychotherapy is most effective when combined with drug therapy. It is suggested that comparative studies be undertaken of psychotherapeutic techniques for managing patients with PGD associated with COVID-19 and the adaptation of these techniques to virtual settings.

Psychopathology and Atmospheres: Neither Inside Nor Outside

Psychopathology and Atmospheres: Neither Inside Nor Outside

Gaining distance learning effectiveness through mental health improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of patience

Nowadays, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities' mental health worldwide. Therefore, studies on minimizing the pandemic's mental health impact are urgently needed. This study aimed to examine the role of patience on distance learners' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. A correlational study was conducted involving a total of 330 university students of distance learners, and they were selected using stratified random sampling. The Patience Scale (PS-11) was used to measure interpersonal patience, life hardships patience, and daily hassles patience. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to measure mental health from the aspects of depression, anxiety, and stress. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and multiple regression. The study showed that life hardships and patience were predictors of reducing depression and anxiety. Besides that, life hardships patience and interpersonal patience were predictors of reducing stress, and the main contributing factor was life hardships patience. This study contributes to humanistic therapy theories and their practical implications. It also contributes to developing the national mental health policy strategy, Ministry of Health Malaysia, and Sustainable Development Goals 2030.

Evaluation of a person‐centred psychotherapy programme for children with developmental disabilities and parents in disadvantaged families

AbstractBackgroundThe needs of parents of children with developmental disabilities (DD) in disadvantaged families are frequently unmet by service providers. This service gap likely diminishes the therapeutic gains of children's treatment. Catering to the psychological needs of both children and parents is important. The present study evaluates the effectiveness of a person‐centred psychotherapy programme for children with DD and parents in disadvantaged families in reducing parenting stress and promoting positive children's behaviours.MethodFifteen parent–child dyads participated in a person‐centred psychotherapy programme consisting of eight 1‐hr child‐centred play therapy (CCPT) sessions and four 1‐hr person‐centred therapy (PCT) sessions. The parents completed a quantitative questionnaire before and after the programme.ResultsThe results indicated a significant reduction in children's conduct problems, with a large effect size, and in the levels of parental distress, parent–child dysfunctional interaction and difficulty in controlling their child's behaviours, with large effect sizes after the interventions.ConclusionsThis study provides positive evidence for the effectiveness of the person‐centred intervention programme. The results imply that individual humanistic therapy sessions are essential and effective to cater to parents' needs. Service providers can provide PCT to parents when delivering child services.

An exploration of the psychometric properties of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory (BLRI Obs-40) with young people

ABSTRACT Many young people experience poor mental health, which, if left untreated, can have detrimental effects into adulthood. Person-centered and humanistic therapies are widely used for this population. However, the evidence for their effectiveness is limited, and tools to assess person-centered therapy’s ‘core conditions’ with young people is also lacking. The Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory Observer Form (BLRI Obs-40) assesses the therapist-provided conditions of empathy, congruence, level of regard, and unconditionality of regard. This study assesses the psychometric properties of the BLRI Obs-40 with young people, using data from 136 audio recordings of school-based humanistic counseling. The scale’s internal consistency was high and the five-month test-retest reliability was satisfactory. Inter-rater reliability, however, was poor. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported the original four-subscale dimensionality of the scale. The BLRI Obs-40 showed good convergent validity with the Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy Scale adapted for young people (PCEPS-YP). The BLRI Obs-40 may be used with young populations for practice, supervision, and research. However, further exploration of, and evidence for, the scale’s psychometric properties are recommended to validate its use. Extended training of raters will be essential to enhance the scale’s inter-rater reliability.

Analysis of Influencing Factors and Treatments of Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as BP, is a mental disease with a strong social burden. Previously, this disease, also known as manic depression, can induce patients to have extreme mood swings. At the same time, this disease can also lead to bad family and social relations. This article will focus on the impact of bipolar disorder and explore the factors that affect bipolar emotion. This article will discuss from the family and social aspects to explore the environmental and cultural problems that may affect the patients and study the congenital conditions of patients with bipolar disorder to determine whether the pathogenic factors of congenital bipolar disorder can be controlled. In addition, the article will also study the treatment methods of bipolar disorder, including the most commonly used cognitive behavioral therapy, drug therapy, and social humanistic therapy, to find the treatment methods suitable for bipolar disorder patients.

Exploring the Future Social Identity of a PhD Student Dealing With Anxiety: A Psychotherapy Client Study

This psychotherapy case study examines the brief therapeutic journey of a young woman presenting with academic anxiety and the flexible person-centred approach adopted by her therapist, the author. Application during therapy sessions of concepts from humanistic therapy and beyond, such as configurations of self and imagining future possible selves, enabled the client to unravel her anxiety and eventually discover the underlying tension existing between her internal versus external locus of self-evaluation and self-worth, leading her to contemplate her overall social identity and future life choices. The study aimed to stimulate in the client open reflection about how an internal dialogue between parts of the self may reveal underlying internal tensions and how envisaging possible future selves can help identify how self-criticism may be socially and culturally conditioned. This study, being a single-client study, was tailored for the specific therapeutic goals and personality of the client, and thus the generalisability of this therapeutic approach is limited. However, the study aims to shed light on how we may better support through psychotherapy and counselling students at elite universities with a working-class background, who commonly struggle to “fit in” to this environment and make sense of their changing present and future social identity.

Existential implications of internet gaming disorder (IGD).

Internet gaming disorder (IGD), a condition warranting further study in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5, has received considerable research attention in recent years (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Characterized by problematic and repetitive use of Internetbased games, research suggests a complex etiology and that frequent usage, in and of itself, is not necessarily always problematic. Common motivations for intense usage, such as feelings of isolation, distress, and boredom may, in part, reflect an individual’s best attempts to navigate contact with the ‘ultimate’ anxieties identified by Yalom (1980). This article reviews the research pertaining to IGD, conceptualizes the disorder from an existentialhumanistic therapy (E-H) perspective, and concludes with an explanation of how E-H can offer a unique treatment perspective from which to work with clients struggling with problematic online gaming concerns within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. © 2021 American Psychological Association

A national study of the psychological theories and therapies covered within clinical psychology training programs in Australia

ABSTRACT Objective Recent advancements in the field of psychotherapy have included a diversification in Cognitive Behaviour Therapies (CBTs), often referred to as the “third wave”, yet relatively little is known about their coverage in Australian postgraduate clinical psychology training. Data were gathered to study the relationships between training program theoretical orientation, therapies covered, and factors determining the coverage of therapies. Method Responses to a semi-structured interview of 28 Directors of Clinical Training (DCT) or equivalent of Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) approved clinical psychology training programs (representing 72% of all accredited programs) were examined. Results Behaviour and cognitive theories were identified as dominant in programs. Coverage of Beck’s CBT was not correlated with other CBTs, and the number of therapies covered did not distinguish integrative (64.3%) from non-integrative programs. In an examination of the factors guiding the adoption of insight orientated therapies (i.e., Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Humanistic Therapy, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Process Experiential/Emotion-Focused Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and Existential Therapy), the focus of clinical research, and student interest emerged as significant predictors (β = −.16, SE =.06, p < .05, 95% Boot CI [−.27, −.03]). Conclusions Beck’s CBT, and its undergirding theories emerged as dominant and was not associated with coverage of more recent CBTs, suggesting that there is opportunity to diversify therapies covered considering their evidence base.

Категория «смысл» в социогуманитарных науках, психологии и психотерапевтических практиках

This article is devoted to the study of the "meaning" as a basic category in socio-humanitarian sciences and psychotherapeutic practices. For discussion, the authors propose the following thesis: meaning is the ultimate category in the socio-humanitarian sciences like matter in the physicalist sciences. The "turn to meaning" is justified. It is already observed in the works of Z. Freud, who claimed that symptomatic actions have a hidden meaning, as well as in the works of M. Weber, who focused his attention on meaningfully oriented human actions. The sociological category of "meaning" was further developed by A. Schutz. The "meaning" category is also reviewed in phenomenology and poststructuralism of J. Derrida and J. Deleuze. Russian philosophy, psychology and cultural studies based on V.M. Mezhuyev analyzed as well. The analysis of the above sources allows us to confirm the thesis put forward and recognize the meaning as a key category of socio-human sciences. Meaning is considered by the authors as a category of subjective ontology, and all sociological and psychological phenomena are recognized as explication of meanings. Moreover, subjectivity (agency) is understood as the ability of an individual to manage himself and the circumstances of his own life with meaning. Since meaning is a general category for the socio-humanitarian sciences, it can be considered as a category of the logic of these sciences. The logically possible is equivalent to the meaningful. The last section of the article examines the category "meaning" in psychotherapeutic practices: psychoanalysis, humanistic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative practice. It is shown that all these approaches tend to endow the client with agency, i.e. to form his ability to interpret his own life, find meanings and, thus, to deal meaningfully with himself and the circumstances of his own life. This analysis allows us to see the connection between the theoretical category of meaning and its significance in the practice of social and individual life.

Corporate Culture, Employee Stress, and Leadership Support: En Route Organizational Psychotherapy

Organizations are increasingly concerned about the level of stress that their workers are under. This is because, a high level of stress has been linked to a faster heart rate, breathing difficulties, hypertension, stroke, and even death. Hence, organizations are becoming mindful of losing employees in this regard. This study examined the influence of corporate culture on aiding leadership support with the view of eradicating employees' stress in the workplace. The study adopted the sociotechnical systems theory and the work Demand-control, support model to serve as an undergirded theory for this study. Extant literature on corporate culture, employee stress, and leadership support was reviewed, and the link between them was established. It was discovered that withdrawal behaviors such as quit intentions, absence from work, tardiness, and a loss of devotion to organizational operations are detrimental to the organization's existence and survival in any form. It was concluded that organizations are required to induce, establish, facilitate, and integrate a "caring component" into their culture, as a "caring culture" tends to encourage employee commitment to organizational activities that will assist them in achieving established process and result-focused organizational goals, especially through behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and integrative or holistic therapies.

Modeling Linguistic (A)Synchrony: A Case Study of Therapist-Client Interaction.

Interpersonal synchrony is the alignment of responses between social interactants, and is linked to positive outcomes including cooperative behavior, affiliation, and compassion in different social contexts. Language is noted as a key aspect of interpersonal synchrony, but different strands of existing work on linguistic (a)synchrony tends to be methodologically polarized. We introduce a more complementary approach to model linguistic (a)synchrony that is applicable across different interactional contexts, using psychotherapy talk as a case study. We define linguistic synchrony as similarity between linguistic choices that reflect therapists and clients’ socio-psychological stances. Our approach involves (i) computing linguistic variables per session, (ii) k-means cluster analysis to derive a global synchrony measure per dyad, and (iii) qualitative analysis of sample extracts from each dyad. This is demonstrated on sample dyads from psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic therapy. The resulting synchrony measures reflect the general philosophy of these therapy types, while further qualitative analyses reveal how (a)synchrony is contextually co-constructed. Our approach provides a systematic and replicable tool for research and self-reflection in psychotherapy and other types of purposive dialogic interaction, on more representative and limited datasets alike.

Study on the validity of the theoretical paradigm of art therapy for vulnerable children

Purpose The vulnerable children refer to the special group of children with deviation in the process of children's psychological development and personality formation due to growth dilemmas. Materials and methods This may incur a series of serious social and family problems. The vulnerable children mainly cover the children suffering from children's psychological problems, such as childhood autism, autism, social anxiety and hypersensitivity, fear, depression, and PTSD arising from other factors. At present, the research results at home and abroad mainly focus on the psychological dynamic correlation investigation and solution discussion of a certain kind of difficult factor in the children's psychological development based on statistical data by the experimental methods, such as scale and model, and there is a blind spot in the humanistic orientation theory construction of psychological treatment for vulnerable children, causing the social reflection on children's psychological predicament from the humanistic perspective cannot be performed in related researches and going against searching for universal and integral theoretical paradigm for solving related problems. Results Sophisticated technologies for the observations have emerged increasingly for enabling the psychological features of vulnerable children through developmental cognitive neuroscience experiments. Conclusion This paper introduces humanistic art therapy theory, focuses on the construction of a theoretical paradigm, and verifies its effectiveness based on the experimental results on the psychological development of vulnerable children, with an efficient performance. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION This study mainly refers to children with difficulty in social inclusion and psychological development. The results showed that two kinds of art therapy can obviously improve the psychological disorders of vulnerable children. The goal was to enhance self-cognition, strengthen emotional interaction, and implement positive motivation.

A qualitative meta‐analysis of the clients' experiences of emotion‐focused therapy

Client experience of psychotherapy is an important resource for our understanding of psychotherapy and deserves relevant attention in psychotherapy research. Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) is a relatively new adaptation of a humanistic therapy that has a tradition of giving a voice to the clients in therapy. Despite the number of qualitative studies looking at the experience of clients in EFT, there was no formal qualitative meta-analysis conducted synthesizing the existing qualitative research on the clients' experience of EFT. A sample of 11 primary qualitative studies was selected through a systematic search of the literature. Primary studies were critically appraised, and data (findings) from them extracted and meta-analysed. All 11 studies featured experiences of helpful aspects of therapy, with difficult but helpful aspects reported in seven studies and unhelpful aspects reported in six studies. Most studies reported chair and experiential work and intense emotional work in EFT as helpful, with fewer reports and fewer clients finding them difficult but helpful or unhelpful. The multidimensional nature of the therapist and therapeutic relationship in EFT included emotional connection and support, validation and understanding and was commonly experienced as helpful to clients. Other client experiences reported included practical aspects of EFT such as session length, in-session outcomes such as clients' transformative experiences, and internal and external factors which were experienced by clients such as determination or reluctance to commit to therapy. Most clients experience EFT as an intense, challenging, but productive psychotherapy, but it appears a minority of clients experience aspects of EFT as challenging.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A HUMANISTIC THERAPY ON CHILD TRAUMA AT THE MADANIA ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOL FOUNDATION OF YOGYAKARTA

Trauma is a disorder that is needed to be handled appropriately according to children’s traits. This study aims to determine the implementation of therapy at the Madania Islamic Boarding School Foundation of Yogyakarta (known as YPPM) carried out through the humanistic approach to children’s trauma. What is discussed in this finding is the state of child trauma, the implementation of humanistic therapy, obstacles and results obtained from humanistic therapy on child trauma at the Madania Islamic Boarding School Foundation of Yogyakarta (YPPM). This study used the research method of descriptive qualitative. The data were collected through unstructured interviews, but still according to the interview manual, to avoid the questions of not getting out of this research topic. In addition, the researcher also conducted a literature study to strengthen the research results, associated with the theories on Journals, books, and papers of the previous researches. This finding resulted in that traumatic state which children of the Madania Islamic Boarding School Foundation of Yogyakarta have is extreme anxiety. To handle this condition is by giving the motivation, creating a comfortable situation, and carrying out the religious activity. At the same time, the child’s lack of openness is a challenge in implementing this therapy. The efforts resulted in healing for child trauma indicated by the character changes. From the obtained results, it can be concluded that the Madania Islamic Boarding School Foundation of Yogyakarta has carried out the humanistic therapy approach well, it accomplished good changes in children.