The Biological Basis of Psychotherapy

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Week One Initial Discussion Post

The Biological Basis of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a behavior-changing intervention that treats different mental health conditions. Biological principles form the basis of psychotherapy. Although the intervention focuses on behavioral patterns, its primary principle entails transforming brain functions that get altered due to receptor responses to stressors. It aims to correct the brain’s problematic transformations and replace them with positive systems. The scholarly article reviewed by Jurez-Trevio (2019) explains that the brain is a natural organ that depends on neurons to map memories and experiences and process information. The cortical memory in the brain records positive events. Therefore, the occurrence of negative events leaves unwanted mappings in the brain. The blemished mappings cause mental manifestations that characterize mental health illnesses. Psychotherapy seeks to remove or change negative mappings and replace them with positive ones.

The Influence of Culture, Socioeconomic Status, and Region on an Individuals Perceptions Regarding the Value of Psychotherapy Treatments.

Culture, socioeconomic status, and religion influence an individuals perceptions regarding the value of psychotherapy treatments. Cultural misconceptions about psychotherapeutic treatments may lead one to view the modality as valueless. For instance, the belief that mental illness is a curse causes one to seek divine intervention while disregarding other treatments like psychotherapy. Also, minority clients who experience hostility and microaggressions during psychotherapy report negative outcomes. Consequently, they lose trust in the value of such methods. Religion also plays a role in shaping people’s perceptions regarding the importance of psychotherapy. According to a research review study performed by Pastwa-Wojciechowska et al. (2021), religious beliefs influence people to seek divine interventions instead of psychotherapy treatment. Besides, religion and spirituality translate to positive psychosocial functioning and reduced stress and depression. Lastly, socioeconomic statuses influence how an individual perceives the significance of psychotherapy. People with low socioeconomic statuses are less likely to seek psychotherapy treatment. The low tendency can be attributed to a lack of knowledge or cost issues. Also, youths with severe mental health conditions and from low socioeconomic classes have a higher risk of discontinuing their psychotherapy sessions, citing the insignificant impact on their conditions.

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Therapy

Privacy is one ethical and legal issue impacting individual, group, and family therapy. Clinicians, during individual therapy, have an ethical responsibility to keep the clients information private. On the contrary, group and family members are responsible for ensuring their information remains confidential. An exploratory study performed by Doshi et al. (2019) and published in the Journal of counseling research and practice confirms that confidentiality between the client and the clinician is essential to build a trusting relationship between them. Clients build confidence in the treatment if they are sure their information is secure. On the contrary, confidentiality among group and family members relies upon the individual members. This will greatly impact my therapeutic approaches during my clinical practice because I will have to address the issue of privacy and confidentiality with group members before the sessions begin. This enhances confidence in the sessions and allows for the free sharing of information among group members.

Demonstration that the Research Articles are Scholarly

The article by Doshi et al. (2019) is considered a scholarly source since the authors are experienced in the field of mental health. Rostyslaw W. Robak is a practicing psychologist with 15 years of experience. Poonam V. Doshi is a professor at Pace University and a counselor. Paul Griffin is an Associate Professor and Director of Ph.D. in Mental Health Counseling at Pace University. Alfred W. Ward is also a professor in the field of psychology at Pace University. The source has been used to guide various clinical practices. It utilizes exploratory research, thus falling into the first level of evidence (level I) in the hierarchy of scholarly sources. Therefore, it provides credible and reliable information that healthcare providers and other medical staff can use to make informed decisions.

The second source by Myrthala Jurez-Trevio is a scholarly source since the author is a scholar and a faculty member in the department of psychiatry. The source clearly approaches the topic of mental health from a biological perspective by focusing on the changes in brain functioning that lead to mental health illnesses. Besides, the article sources information from academic, peer-reviewed sources.

Lastly, the article by Pastwa-Wojciechowska Grzegorzewska & Wojciechowska (2021) is a scholarly article since it utilizes relevant knowledge relating to the field of psychiatry to highlights the connection between religion and mental health. Such crucial information guides the development of mental health interventions. Also, the author supports his findings with information from other sources to enhance their credibility. Also, the article was written by a professor in the field of psychology.

References

Doshi, P. V., Robak, R. W., Grffin, P. W., & Ward, A. W. (2019). Confidentiality in counselor experiential training groups: An exploratory study. Journal of Counseling Research and Practice, 5(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.56702/UCKX8598/jcrp0501.3

Pastwa-Wojciechowska, B., Grzegorzewska, I., & Wojciechowska, M. (2021). The role of religious values and beliefs in shaping mental health and disorders. Religions, 12(10), 840. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100840

Jurez-Trevio, M. (2019). Does Psychotherapy Change the Brain Functioning? American Journal of Biomedical Science and Research. DOI: 10.34297/AJBSR.2019.03.000670

Does_Psychotherapy_Change_the_Brain_Func.pdf
Reply

Respond to at least one of your colleagues on two different days by providing an additional scholarly resource that supports or challenges their position, along with a brief explanation of the resource.

Describe how legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy differ from those for individual therapy. Explain how these differences might

Impact your therapeutic approaches for clients in group, individual, and family therapy. Support your rationale with at least three peer-reviewed, evidence-based sources, and explain why each of your supporting sources is considered scholarly. Attach the PDFs of your sources.

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