How to Address a Psychology?
Everyone who seeks therapy is a unique individual so his or her therapy will need to be tailored to fit his or her specific needs and strengths. Nevertheless, there are some important generalizations that usually apply to the therapeutic process. For example, most people seek help because of feeling poorly about some aspect their life, or due to suffering from some mental or emotional disquietude, unhappiness, anxiety, confusion or distress. Similarly, another valid generalization is that most therapeutic methods will require a solid foundation of mutual trust and respect between client and therapist so a good rapport and a working alliance can develop.
In addition, it seems there are basically nine essential issues that need to be the foci of psychological treatment. This isn't to say that all nine will always require therapeutic attention, but that they all have to be either ruled out or adequately addressed. Therefore, regardless of a therapist's theoretical orientation (i.e., analytic, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, etc.), or the "calling card" a client bring as his or her chief complaint, unless these nine issues are taken into consideration, important therapeutic stones may be left unturned thus leaving a client in a state of unnecessary unhappiness or vulnerable to relapse. These nine essential issues are:
1. Conflicting or ambivalent feelings or reactions: For example, a person who is stuck in a job, relationship, or other situation because of ambivalence will need help resolving the conflict to move forward confidently and with a minimum of potential regret. In most cases, gender dysphoria fits into this issue because at its root is a profound conflict between genetic gender and sense of self.
2. Maladaptive behaviors: For example, addiction, compulsions, deception, violence, crime, anxious avoidance, and depressive isolation (to name only a few).
4. Missing information: This refers mainly to skill deficits and ignorance (e.g., an inability to act assertively, being unable to regulate emotions, not knowing how most STDs are contracted, or being unaware of what constitutes a drinking problem, or accurately assessing risks).
5. Interpersonal pressures and demands: For example, learning to deal or cope with a demanding spouse, needy children, an intrusive boss, unpleasant co-workers, or generally problematic people.
6. External stressors: This involves issues like poor living conditions, unsafe environments, and financial pressure.
7. Significant traumatic experiences: Including matters of sexual, physical or emotional abuse, gross neglect in childhood, serious injuries or illnesses, and profound loss.
8. Biological dysfunction: This refers to the fact that some problems are largely biologically driven and that many medical conditions can masquerade as psychological problems. For instance, several endocrinopathies (i.e., hormonal imbalances such as diabetes and thyroid disease) and other metabolic dysfunctions can present as mood or anxiety disorders. What's more, profound neurophysiological disturbances like psychoses and severe bipolar disorder usually require specific biological interventions. This isn't to say that psychological therapy is unessential in these cases. Only that in addition to psychosocial methods, medical therapy is necessary lest treatment will be minimally effective.
