course material

1. Discussion: Summary of Psychotherapy
Discussion: Summary of PsychotherapyDiscussion: Summary of Psychotherapy3 references
not more than 5 yearsSummary of PsychotherapyThe psychotherapy which I have selected
is interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) which is a time-limited, diagnosis-targeted
psychotherapy originally developed for the treatment of major depression in clients who
are mentally challenged. Research studies have repeatedly shown its efficacy in treating
mood disorders and other psychiatric disorders over the past 40 years. Because IPT is a life
event−based treatment that focuses on improving interpersonal functioning, it is very
natural to adapt it for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a life
event−based illness that affects interpersonal functioning of clients who have had traumatic
experiences. Preliminary data have indicated that the efficacy of IPT in alleviating PTSD
symptoms is equal to that of prolonged exposure, the best-tested exposure-based treatment
(Bleiberg & Markowitz, 2019).Existential therapy teaches that all persons have the capacity
for self-awareness. It is about the fact that as free beings, everyone must accept the
responsibility that accompanies freedom. Each person has a uniqueness that can only be
known through relationships with others. Each person must continually reinvent himself.
The meaning of life and of existence is never fixed; rather, it is dynamic. In addition, it
teaches that anxiety is part of the human condition and death is a basic human condition
that gives significance to life. Existential therapy focuses on specific concerns rooted in the
individual’s existence. The contemporary existential psychotherapist, Irvin Yalom, identifies
these concerns asdeath, isolation, freedom,andemptiness (Services, U. S. Department Of
Health And Human, 2013).Strengths and Challenges of Interpersonal and Existential
PsychotherapiesOn a major strength of Interpersonal psychotherapy is that it works well
with PTSD clients who have depression and because it is a life-based treatment plan, it is
very natural to adopt and its efficacy cannot be controverted. A challenge to this therapy is
that it is mainly for PTSD clients who have mood disorders.A core strength of the existential
therapy is that an individual is a “being in the world” who has biological, social, and
psychological needs. Being in the world involves the physical world, the world of
relationships with others, and one’s own relationship to self. Another strength is that
authentic individual values symbolization, imagination, and judgment and can use these
tools to continually create personal meaning. A challenge with the existential therapy is that
the therapist finds it difficult to help the client focus on personal responsibility for making
decisions and the therapist may integrate some humanistic approaches and techniques
which may be challenging as well (Services, U. S. Department Of Health And Human,

2. 2013).Fictional Client for Interpersonal PsychotherapyMr. S.B.J is an Iraqi war veteran who
lost his friend in combat. The client reports that his friend was shot and killed while both of
them were on the battlefield in Iraq. Many times, the client reports that “I cannot sleep, and
I have nightmares when I remember what happened to me and my friend in Iraq. I hate this
world and I am sad and depressed. I am not interested in doing anything. I have lost interest
in everything which I used to enjoy” (Bleiberg & Markowitz, 2019).Fictional Client for
Existential TherapyMr. J.O.B is a drug addict who has a substance abuse disorder. He takes
drugs because he is constantly confronted with anxiety. He is faced with taking
responsibility and making his own choices to remain substance-free. If he chooses to avoid
anxiety through substances, he cannot move forward to find truth and authenticity.The
existential therapist must help the client to make personal decisions about how to live,
drawing upon creativity and love, instead of letting outside events determine behavior
(Services, U. S. Department Of Health And Human, 2013).ReferencesBleiberg, K. L., &
Markowitz, J. C. (2019). Interpersonal psychotherapy for PTSD: Treating trauma without
exposure.Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 29(1), 15–
22.https://doi.org/10.1037/int0000113Services, U. S. Department Of Health And Human.
(2013). Substance abuse treatment and family therapy: Treatment improvement protocol.
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