“Talk therapy”; a treatment approach in which a client works with a mental health professional to reduce psychological symptoms and improve quality of life.

A warm and accepting client–therapist relationship that serves as a safe place for self-exploration.

A type of resistance that occurs when a patient reacts to a therapist as if dealing with parents or other caregivers from childhood.

The ability to pick up on the content and emotions behind words in order to understand a client’s perspective, often by echoing the main point of what the client says.

A type of cognitive therapy, developed by Ellis, that identifies illogical thoughts and converts them into rational ones.

A therapeutic technique that brings a person into contact with a feared object or situation while in a safe environment, with the goal of extinguishing or eliminating the fear response.

A type of therapy aimed at addressing the maladaptive thinking that leads to maladaptive behaviors and feelings.

A psychoanalytic technique used to discover unconscious conflicts driving behavior.

A category of treatment that utilizes the Internet to provide support and therapy.

A biomedical therapy that involves the destruction of some portion of the brain or connections between different areas of the brain.

A type of insight therapy that incorporates core psychoanalytic themes, including the importance of unconscious conflicts and experiences from the past.

Therapeutic approach in which behaviors are shaped through reinforcement and punishment.

Therapeutic approach that uses the principles of classical conditioning to link problematic behaviors to unpleasant physical reactions.

The ability to respond to a client in an authentic way rather than hiding behind a polite or professional mask.

A type of therapy that focuses on behavioral change.

A treatment that combines anxiety hierarchies with relaxation techniques.

A patient’s unwillingness to cooperate in therapy; a sign of unconscious conflict.

A biomedical treatment of severe depression that induces seizures in the brain through electrical currents.

Psychotropic medications used for treating the symptoms of anxiety.

Psychotropic medication used in the treatment of psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions.

A form of humanistic therapy developed by Rogers; aimed at helping clients achieve their full potential.

Psychotropic medications that minimize the lows of depression and the highs of mania.

A technique used in person-centered therapy wherein the therapist follows the lead of the client during treatment sessions.

Psychotropic medications used for the treatment of depression.

A cognitive distortion that assumes self-contained events will have major repercussions.

Drugs and other physical interventions that target the biological processes underlying psychological disorders; primary goal is to reduce symptoms.

The ability to feel what a person is experiencing by attempting to observe the world through his or her eyes.

A treatment approach that uses behavior modification to harness the power of reinforcement to encourage good behavior.

A psychoanalytic technique in which a patient says anything that comes to mind.

A type of therapy that focuses on the family as an integrated system, recognizing that the interactions within it can create instability or lead to the breakdown of the family unit.

The mass movement of patients with psychological disorders out of mental institutions, and the attempt to reintegrate them into the community.

A type of psychotherapy, aimed at increasing awareness of self and the environment.

An action-oriented type of therapy that requires clients to confront and resist their illogical thinking.

A type of insight therapy that emphasizes the positive nature of humankind.

Drawing on multiple theories and approaches to therapy to tailor treatment for a client.