Burnley, United Kingdom

Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling

Language: English Studies in English
Subject area: social
University website: www.burnley.ac.uk
Foundation Degree (FD)
Psychology
Psychology is the science of behavior and mind, including conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope and diverse interests that, when taken together, seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, and all the variety of epiphenomena they manifest. As a social science it aims to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior and overcome problems in desired ways. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual's well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. Certain psychotherapies are considered evidence-based for treating some diagnosed mental disorders. Others have been criticized as pseudoscience.
Psychotherapy
Therapy is not to "talk about" things, but to change the person's life, and to relieve suffering, such as depression, anxiety, or relationship problems. Of course, empathy and skillful listening are important at the start of each session, but they are simply not sufficient to change the patient's life.
David D. Burns, in: Ryan Howes "Seven Questions for David D. Burns" at psychologytoday.com, 7 January 2009.
Psychology
Psychology has a long past, but only a short history.
Herman Ebbinghaus, cited in: Edwin Boring (1929) A History of Experimental Psychology p. ix
Psychotherapy
I feel that any form of so called psychotherapy is strongly contraindicated for addicts. The question "Why did you start using narcotics in the first place?" should never be asked. It is quite as irrelevant to treatment as it would be to ask a malarial patient why he went to a malarial area.
William S. Burroughs, quoted in: Lois A. Michel (1968) Way out: a thematic reader. p. 121
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