The way we think about psychology significantly affects how we help people with mental health issues. Different views in psychology give us different ideas about why people behave the way they do. Let’s look at some of the main ideas in psychology and how they relate to therapy.

1. Behavioral Perspective

• Focus: This view looks at what people do and how learning affects them.
• Therapeutic Practices:
  • Behavior Modification: This practice uses rewards to encourage good behavior.
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This mixes changing thoughts with action steps to help with problems like anxiety and depression. Research shows that CBT works for about 60-70% of people dealing with these issues.

2. Cognitive Perspective

• Focus: This is all about how we think, solve problems, remember things, and see the world.
• Therapeutic Practices:
  • Cognitive Therapy: This works to change negative thinking. Studies suggest it can help reduce symptoms of depression by around 40-50%.
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): This combines thinking skills with being present in the moment. It can lower the chance of getting depressed again by 30%.

3. Humanistic Perspective

• Focus: This idea focuses on becoming the best version of ourselves.
• Therapeutic Practices:
  • Person-Centered Therapy: This approach emphasizes understanding and accepting clients as they are. About 80% of clients report being satisfied with this therapy.
  • Gestalt Therapy: This helps people become more aware of themselves and take responsibility, which can boost self-esteem and emotional health.

4. Psychoanalytic Perspective

• Focus: This examines deep thoughts and childhood memories.
• Therapeutic Practices:
  • Psychoanalysis: This involves talking freely and looking at dreams. Long-term studies show that it can help about 50-60% of patients feel better.
  • Psychodynamic Therapy: This is similar but shorter and focuses more on current issues and past experiences, often working as well as CBT.

Conclusion

When therapists choose how to help someone, they often use these ideas from psychology. Each approach has different levels of success depending on what the person needs. Mixing different ideas together might improve how well therapy works.

In short, the major ideas in psychology not only help us understand why people act the way they do but also shape how therapists work with their clients. This directly affects how successful therapy can be.