Topic: Compare and contrast the approach to AT treatment presented in Chapter 3 to at least 3 different approaches to mental health treatment.
In Adventure Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, Gass, Gillis, and Russell explain an integrative approach that is used in the field of AT (2012). This approach is termed the ABC-R model, which stands for Affect, Behavior, Cognition, and Relationships. The text explains how adventure therapists are able to use this model to adapt to the client’s needs. The therapist will recognize where to start with a client, utilizing the client’s affect, behavior, or cognition as an initial way to make a connection. Once the therapist has made it this far, the text explains how important the building of quality relationships is in the ability for the therapist to access the other two components. The relationship between the therapist and the client is definitely the highest priority, but other relationships, like with the family or field staff are important as well.
Group therapy is closely related to the AT therapeutic approach due to the fact that they both utilize a combination of the foundational psychotherapeutic schools of thought, like psychoanalytic, interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive psychology among others. Here is the American Group Psychotherapy Association website.
In Adventure Therapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, Gass, Gillis, and Russell explain an integrative approach that is used in the field of AT (2012). This approach is termed the ABC-R model, which stands for Affect, Behavior, Cognition, and Relationships. The text explains how adventure therapists are able to use this model to adapt to the client’s needs. The therapist will recognize where to start with a client, utilizing the client’s affect, behavior, or cognition as an initial way to make a connection. Once the therapist has made it this far, the text explains how important the building of quality relationships is in the ability for the therapist to access the other two components. The relationship between the therapist and the client is definitely the highest priority, but other relationships, like with the family or field staff are important as well.
Group therapy is closely related to the AT therapeutic approach due to the fact that they both utilize a combination of the foundational psychotherapeutic schools of thought, like psychoanalytic, interpersonal, behavioral, and cognitive psychology among others. Here is the American Group Psychotherapy Association website.
Art Therapy is quite similar to AT. Other than the fact that
one utilizes adventure and the other art, both share the common approach to
meet the client where he or she is. According to the American Art Therapy
Association’s website, art therapists are trained to bring out clients' inherent art producing abilities to access their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Another approach to mental illness treatment is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). According to Behavioral Tech, LLC, DBT was first created for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in response to problems that surfaced when applying the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach. Essentially DBT is a form of CBT with three significant added, or more focused strategies; validation of feelings and thoughts, desire to change, and dialectical strategies which serve as the means to balance acceptance (validation) and change. Practicing mindfulness is essential to this process. This approach is extremely client driven and requires the therapist to meet the client where he or she is, just like the AT approach.
It seems clear that all of these approaches have in some way come about due to a recognized need for psychotherapy to be more adaptable to clients' needs as opposed to applying a specific and rigid approach that leaves little room for sufficient adjustments. All of these can be used individually (other than group therapy) or in a group setting or can utilize a combination of the two. It seems as though the more flexible an approach can be without jeopardizing the integrity of the treatment.
References:
American Art Therapy Association. Retrieved from: http://www.arttherapy.org
American Group Psychotherapy Association. Retrieved from: http://www.agpa.org
Behavioral Tech, LLC. DBT Resources: What is DBT? Retrieved from: http://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm.
Gass, M. A., Gillis, H. L., & Russell, K. C. (2012). Adventure therapy: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Another approach to mental illness treatment is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). According to Behavioral Tech, LLC, DBT was first created for patients with Borderline Personality Disorder in response to problems that surfaced when applying the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach. Essentially DBT is a form of CBT with three significant added, or more focused strategies; validation of feelings and thoughts, desire to change, and dialectical strategies which serve as the means to balance acceptance (validation) and change. Practicing mindfulness is essential to this process. This approach is extremely client driven and requires the therapist to meet the client where he or she is, just like the AT approach.
It seems clear that all of these approaches have in some way come about due to a recognized need for psychotherapy to be more adaptable to clients' needs as opposed to applying a specific and rigid approach that leaves little room for sufficient adjustments. All of these can be used individually (other than group therapy) or in a group setting or can utilize a combination of the two. It seems as though the more flexible an approach can be without jeopardizing the integrity of the treatment.
References:
American Art Therapy Association. Retrieved from: http://www.arttherapy.org
American Group Psychotherapy Association. Retrieved from: http://www.agpa.org
Behavioral Tech, LLC. DBT Resources: What is DBT? Retrieved from: http://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm.
Gass, M. A., Gillis, H. L., & Russell, K. C. (2012). Adventure therapy: Theory, research, and practice. New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
After being interested in psychology for a long time before college and having four years worth of psychology undergraduate training, I had never heard of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). It is ever more interesting to me to think of those patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in relation to therapy outcomes because BPD patients are particularly irresponsive to psychological treatment. I wonder what adventure therapy methods would be employed when trying to break through to a BPD patient?
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