Journal Entry

 I need a response to this assignment

3 references

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The psychotherapy I selected is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which focuses on changing dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and thoughts by stopping the negative thought cycle. CBT is considered a solution-oriented form of therapy due to the idea of thoughts and perceptions having a big influence on how an individual behaves (Psychology Today, 2020). I selected CBT because it is appropriate for use in all age groups and it can be used to address many conditions with research showing that it is most effective in treating anxiety and depression. Although CBT might not be helpful in treating everyone, as not one type of therapy is effective for every individual, my preceptor and I have had the opportunity to use this form of therapy with many clients and it seems to show great results. The biggest goal of CBT is to change the way individuals think and behave, knowing that this will not take away their problems, but rather change the way they look at them and help manage in a more positive way (Your.MD, 2020). On the other hand, existential-humanistic therapy has a foundation on the emphasis of holism, self-actualization, enhanced communication, and the overall therapeutic relationship between the therapist and client. The focus is on understanding human experience and focusing on the client instead of focusing on their symptoms, with interventions focused on increasing self-awareness and making authentic decisions (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Existential-humanistic approaches focus on the idea that people have the ability to make their own choices and have self-awareness while doing so as part of human experience, focusing on the here and now but with the understanding that reality is influenced by past experiences, current perceptions and future expectations (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1999). The strengths of CBT include the way it is structured, that it can be helpful in a short period of time, it has a focus on thought retraining in order to refrain from past behaviors and make changes to current behaviors, as well as providing clients with useful skills that can be used in everyday life in order to cope with stress and difficult situations even when therapy has completed (The CBT Clinic, n.d.). On the contrary, some challenges of CBT might be as simple as this just might not all together be the right fit for everyone as each client has special and focused needs and concerns. In order for individuals to benefit from CBT they have to be committed and willing to work for change to happen, however this form of therapy might not be so suitable for individuals that have complex mental health needs or learning difficulties (Your.MD, 2020). Another disadvantage to using CBT might be the focus of the current problem instead of addressing underlying past experiences which could contribute to the current problem. Inversely, existential-humanistic therapy has its own pros and cons with its focus on establishing rapport and establishing meaningful engagement with the client in all aspects of the treatment process (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1999). The humanistic approach views individuals as being good with a potential to maintain healthy relationships and make good choices that will benefit themselves and others, whereas the existentialist approach focuses on guiding the individual to find meaning while they face their problems in the way of making choice the act of importance and responsibility (CCPE, 2020). However, some people might not be okay with the idea of making their own decisions without feeling like they have any guidance, therefore this form of therapy might not be suitable for everyone as well. Nonetheless, a main goal of this therapy is to increase self-awareness, self-esteem and promote individuals to get in touch with their own thought process (Chopra, 2020). A fictional client that could be suitable for CBT would be a 15-year-old female with a history of depression and recurrent suicidal ideation, self-harm behavior who recently lost her brother by overdose. Client blames herself and thinks that she should have done better to help her brother with his addiction. Client reports having coping mechanisms to help with her self-injurious behaviors but could use some help when the urge comes on. This patient would benefit from CBT by working out her guilt as well as helping develop new coping skills. A fictional client that would be suitable for existential-humanistic therapy would be a 16-year-old female with a history of depression and eating disorder who has the tendency to self-harm when feeling low. Since the main goal of this therapy is to increase self-esteem and self-awareness, this would be a good form of therapy for this client by allowing the client view her choices and decisions in a more positive way. 

References 

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

CCPE. (2020). Humanistic-existential approach. Retrieved from:

https://www.ccpeweb.ca/en/services/psychotherapy/humanistic-existential-approach/

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (1999). Brief Humanistic and Existential

Therapies. Brief Interventions and Brief Therapies for Substance Abuse. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64939/

Chopra, P. K. (2020). Existential-Humanistic Psychology, Mindfulness and Global Change.

Retrieved from: http://www.human-studies.com/articles/existential-humanistic-psychology-mindfulness.php

Psychology Today. (2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Retrieved from:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

The CBT Clinic. (n.d.). Pros & Cons of CBT Therapy. Retrieved from:

http://www.thecbtclinic.com/pros-cons-of-cbt-therapy

Your.MD. (2020). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Retrieved from: