Therapeutic Alliances
| Therapy Techniques |
| Together, We Can Rise Above |
Therapeutic Alliances utilizes several different therapy
techniques based on the most appropriate fit for the client's
needs and personal preferences. The below descriptions
are just a few of the techniques utilized throughout the
therapeutic process.
Play Therapy:
Play is the natural and universal way in which children learn, express
themselves, relieve feelings of stress and boredom, connect to people
in a positive way, stimulate creative thinking and exploration, regulate
their emotions, and boost their ego (Landreth, 2002). In addition, play
allows children to practice skills and roles needed for survival.
Play therapy differs from regular play in that the therapist helps
children to address and resolve their own problems. Through play
therapy, children learn to communicate with others, express feelings,
modify behavior, develop problem-solving skills, and learn a variety of
ways of relating to others. Play provides a safe psychological distance
from their problems and allows expression of thoughts and feelings
appropriate to their development.
By confronting problems in the clinical Play Therapy setting, children
find healthier solutions. Play therapy allows children to change the way
they think about, feel toward, and resolve their concerns (Kaugars &
Russ, 2001). Even the most troubling problems can be confronted in
play therapy and lasting resolutions can be discovered, rehearsed,
mastered and adapted into lifelong strategies (Russ, 2004).
Family Play Therapy:
Families play an important role in children's healing processes. The
interaction between children's problems and their families is always
complex. Sometimes children develop problems as a way of signaling
that there is something wrong in the family. Other times the entire
family becomes distressed because the child's problems are so
disruptive. In all cases, children and families heal faster when they
work together. Family play therapy helps to assist families by
decreasing resistance of family members, exposing underlying
thoughts and feelings, engages and utilizes the natural family energy,
decreased inhibitions, promotes creativity, facilitates family
relatedness, and promotes healthy and fun family interactions.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) integrates features of behavior
modification into the traditional cognitive restructuring approach.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy attempts to change clients' unhealthy
behavior through cognitive restructuring (examining assumptions
behind the thought patterns) and through the use of behavior therapy
techniques.
Cognitive therapy is a psychosocial (both psychological and social)
therapy that assumes that faulty thought patterns (called cognitive
patterns) cause maladaptive behavior and emotional responses. The
treatment focuses on changing thoughts in order to solve
psychological and personality problems. Behavior therapy is also a
goal-oriented, therapeutic approach, and it treats emotional and
behavioral disorders as maladaptive learned responses that can be
replaced by healthier ones with appropriate training.
Family-Systems Therapy:
This approach regards the family, as a whole, as the unit of treatment,
and emphasizes such factors as relationships and communication
patterns rather than traits or symptoms in individual members. In family-
systems therapy, the therapist addresses ways in which family
dynamics contribute to individual issues. The therapist will explore
family structure, alliances, and communication patterns that otherwise
may go unnoticed by the family. Outcomes for treatment remain higher
for children when family members are involved with this process.
Crisis Intervention:
Crisis intervention refers to the methods used to offer immediate, short-
term help to individuals who experience an event that produces
emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral distress or problems. A
crisis can refer to any situation in which the individual perceives a
sudden loss of his or her ability to use effective problem-solving and
coping skills. A number of events or circumstances can be considered
a crisis: life-threatening situations, such as natural disasters (such as
an earthquake or tornado), sexual assault or other criminal
victimization; medical illness; mental illness; thoughts of suicide or
homicide; and loss or drastic changes in relationships (death of a
loved one or divorce, for example).
Crisis intervention aims to reduce the intensity of an individual's
emotional, mental, physical and behavioral reactions to a crisis. It’s
goal is to help individuals return to their level of functioning before the
crisis. Functioning may be improved above and beyond this by
developing new coping skills and eliminating ineffective ways of coping,
such as withdrawal, isolation, and substance abuse. In this way, the
individual is better equipped to cope with future difficulties. Through
talking about what happened, and the feelings about what happened,
while developing ways to cope and solve problems, crisis intervention
aims to assist the individual in recovering from the crisis and to prevent
serious long-term problems from developing.
Brief Therapy:
Brief Therapy defines problems as temporary and changeable. The
causes of the problems are complex and uncertain, therefore, the
focus is on what to do to change the situation in the present and the
future. The focus of Brief Therapy is on the client’s strengths and the
possibilities for change. Therapy is solution oriented and there is
conscious and conscientious use of time.
The client and the therapist will, together, define the problem and
determine several measurable goals and objectives designed to
resolve the problem. These goals are the focus of the treatment and
are reviewed frequently. Together, the client and the therapist will
determine what the desired outcome will look like. In this way, both will
know when the therapy is complete. The emphasis is on the present
and future, not on past events. (Although past events may be reviewed
to put the current difficulties into context). There is a conscious and
conscientious use of time and a frequent review of progress. The client
and the therapist will, together, define the problem and determine
several measurable goals and objectives designed to resolve the
problem. These goals are the focus of the treatment and are reviewed
frequently. Together, the client and the therapist will determine what
the desired outcome will look like. In this way, both will know when the
therapy is complete. The emphasis is on the present and future, not
on past events. (Although past events may be reviewed to put the
current difficulties into context). There is a conscious and
conscientious use of time and a frequent review of progress.
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