Petrus Psychology main individual therapies are Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a blend of two therapies: cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy. Cognitive Therapy focuses on a person’s thoughts and beliefs, and how they influence a person’s mood and actions, and aims to change a person’s thinking to be more adaptive and healthy. Behavioral therapy focuses on a person’s actions and aims to change unhealthy behavior patterns. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. Cognitive behavioral therapy examines thoughts, feelings and behaviors and the relationships and patterns between them. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an empirically supported treatment that focuses on patterns of thinking that are maladaptive and the beliefs that underlie such thinking. For example, a person who is depressed may have the belief, “I’m worthless.” In CBT the therapist works with the client and encourages him or her to view such beliefs as hypotheses rather than facts and to test out such beliefs by running experiments. Therapists who provide CBT tend to be active, problem-focused, and goal-directed. The therapist helps the patient learn how to identify distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns, recognize and change inaccurate beliefs, relate to others in more positive ways, and change behaviors accordingly.
Psychodynamic therapy was tied to the principles of psychoanalytic theory, which asserts that a person’s behavior is affected by his or her unconscious mind and past experiences. Psychodynamic therapy helps people gain greater self-awareness and understanding about their own actions. It helps patients identify and explore how their nonconscious emotions and motivations can influence their behavior. Psychodynamic therapy works to help the client understand the roots of emotional distress, often by exploring unconscious motives, needs, conflicts, and defenses. Psychodynamic therapy works with client to help reveal feelings and wishes that may add insight into the client’s actions and conscious thoughts. The goal of psychodynamic therapy is the client’s self-awareness and understanding. The therapist works with the client to bring to the surface their true feelings, so that they can experience them and understand them.
