Critical Review
Summary
This paper reviews two studies on the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for individuals experiencing auditory hallucinations. The first study (Newton, Larkin, Melhuish, & Wykes, 2007) aims to elicit the positive and negative aspects of group CBT treatment by listening to the perspectives of young people undergoing such treatment. The second study (Penn et al. 2009) seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of group CBT for auditory hallucinations compared to an active control group of enhanced supportive therapy (ST).
For the first study eight participants aged 17 -18 years old who had attended every session of the 7-week group CBT programme were interviewed. In the second study 65 participants between the ages of 18 and 65 who were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were assigned to either group CBT or enhanced group ST in this RCT. The two studies used different methodological approaches: in the first study, semi-structured interviews and IPA (Smith, 2003) were used to explore experiential accounts of participants within context; in the second study quantifiable primary outcomes and secondary outcomes were measured. The outcomes in the second study were evaluated longitudinally at 3 month and 12 month follow-ups.
In the first study, two superordinate themes emerged: 1) Experiential features of participants’ accounts of group CBT; 2) an interpretation of a cycle involving: a) the content of the hallucinated voices b) the participants’ explanations for, and c) reactions to these voices and d) their ability to cope with them. Conclusions drawn by the researchers of the first study include that group CBT was valued positively by participants. The second study concludes that...
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5). While Schizophrenia has been most commonly treated with the use of anti-psychotic medications for decades, cognitive therapy provides an alternative and cognitive psychologist would undoubtedly disagree with Elizabeth’s mother’s decision to medicate her. The way a cognitive psychologist would treat Elizabeth is by the use of therapy and encouraging her to talk about her behaviors and problems as they do not believe that Schizophrenia “is a biological illness that one either has or does not have” (Freeman, 2014, para. 7) and instead the symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions simply represent the patient’s thoughts and feelings (Freeman, 2014). For example, “an individual troubled by hearing voices will be helped to understand what’s triggering these voices, and to develop a more confident, empowering relationship with them” (Freeman, 2014, para.
Classical antipsychotic treatments are commonly used to treat schizophrenic patients with major positive symptoms of schizophrenia, such as Thorazine, Haldol, and Stelazine (Gleitman et al., 2011). Antipsychotic treatments are usually administered with a variety of psychosocial treatments including social skills training, vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, family therapy, or individual therapy (Barlow & Durand, 2014). This is to reduce relapse and help the patient improve their skills in deficits and comply in consuming the
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Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.
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One objective is to utilize the most powerful tool at psychotherapy’s disposal; the group experience. By one individual sharing their experience within the group, the other members are able to identify their similar experiences and work toward their own growth. Group therapy also increases self-awareness of clients in order for them to think introspectively in order to make a change in behaviors, increases social comfort, allowing exploration of new behaviors, provide and obtain support, develop communication skills, and promote interactions with others using truth and
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One of the primary reasons I prefer to utilize CBT is due to its compatibility with my personality. I am an organized, logical, and direct individual, all of which CBT encompasses well. CBT is a highly structured therapy. Even though there isn’t a particular order to procedures while utilizing CBT, there does tend to be a natural progression of certain steps. This aspect allows me to feel as though I am leading client’s to their goals in a logical manner. Not only that, CBT has a great deal of research backing that has proven it to be effective in treating several diagnoses such as depression and anxiety (Corey, 2013). Perhaps the best quality of CBT is the fact that it is known for having an openness to incorporating techniques from other approaches. According to Corey (2013), most forms of CBT can be integrated into other mainstream therapies (p.
The cognitive processes that serve as the focus of treatment in CBT include perceptions, self-statements, attributions, expectations, beliefs, and images (Kazdin, 1994). Most cognitive-behavioral based techniques are applied in the context of psychotherapy sessions in which the clients are seen individually, or in a group, by professional therapists. Intervention programs are designed to help clients become aware of their maladaptive cognitive processes and teach them how to notice, catch, monitor, and interrupt the cognitive-affective-behavioral chains to produce more adaptive coping responses (Mah...
Warren Mansell (2008a) states that CBT is concentrating more on how we find, see, interpret, reflect and explain all the events from the client 's life taking in consideration all the mental processes especially at the conscious level. Also the unconscious aspects are not ignored, but this type of therapy thinks that will be very effective if the client is helped to become aware about "their conscious experience of meaning - making" (Warren Mansel. 2008a, p. 19).
Schizophrenia is a disease that plagues many individuals today and though medications can help alleviate the symptoms there is no known cure for the illness. There are a multitude of representations of schizophrenia in the media. This paper will focus on A Beautiful Mind; a film that focuses on John Forbes Nash Jr. Nash was a mentally gifted individual. He attended Princeton and his mathematical work has changed society greatly. In the movie, Russell Crowe played John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Throughout the movie Crowe did an amazing job depicting the multiple symptoms of schizophrenia. Within this paper I will focus on the positive symptoms, negative symptoms, positive hallucinations, effects of medication, and the time frame of the illness represented in the film.