Psychology 110

Neil Lutsky, Carleton College:
October 23, 2002

Class Outline: Psychotherapy


I. A brief history of therapies for psychopathology.

  1. Somatic vs. psychological therapies.
  2. Insight vs. cognitive-behavioral approaches.

II. Somatic therapies

  1. Drug interventions.
    1. Some difficulties and complexities.
    2. The additivity argument for psychological therapy
    3. Neurotransmitters and psychopharmacology.
      e.g. Chlorpromazine, SSRIs, Lithium Carbonate, Anxiolytics.
  2. ECT.
  3. Psychosurgery.

III. Psychological therapies.

  1. Orthodox psychoanalysis and contemporary variations.
  2. Humanistic therapies: Client-centered and existential.
    [A session with Carl Rogers]

  3. Behavioral therapies: Flooding, implosion, systematic
    desensitization, aversion training, token economies.

  4. Cognitive therapies.

IV. Outcome research on psychotherapy.

  1. The problem of regression to the mean.
  2. Requirements for a scientific evaluation of psychotherapeutic success.
  3. Outcome design complications: diagnosis, patient selection, PT protocols, controls, measures.
  4. Is psychotherapy effective?
  5. Are some therapies more effective than others?
  6. For what kinds of problems are particular approaches
    best suited?
    Prescriptionism.