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Health & Mental Health Treatment & Prevention

This area covers the treatment and prevention of psychological and physical health problems — psychotherapy, clinical and counseling practice, and health promotion.

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Scope

It includes the major therapeutic approaches, their evidence base and outcomes, and the prevention and promotion of mental and physical health.

Sub-topics

Core questions

  • How can psychological problems be treated?
  • Which treatments work, and how well?
  • How can disorders be prevented?
  • What are the active ingredients of therapy?

Key concepts

  • Psychotherapy
  • Cognitive behavioural therapy
  • Client-centred therapy
  • Treatment outcome
  • Prevention
  • Evidence-based practice

Key theories

Client-centred therapy
Rogers founded humanistic, client-centred therapy emphasizing empathy and unconditional positive regard.
Cognitive therapy
Beck and colleagues developed cognitive therapy, a leading evidence-based treatment.
Psychotherapy outcome research
Smith and Glass's meta-analysis showed psychotherapy is broadly effective.

History

Treatment research moved from psychoanalysis to humanistic (Rogers), behavioural, and cognitive (Beck) therapies; meta-analysis (Smith & Glass) established overall efficacy, and the field now emphasizes evidence-based practice and prevention.

Debates

Common factors versus specific techniques
Whether therapy works through shared relational factors or specific techniques.

Key figures

  • Carl Rogers
  • Aaron Beck
  • Mary Lee Smith
  • Gene Glass

Related topics

Seminal works

  • rogers-1951
  • smith-glass-1977
  • beck-1979

Frequently asked questions

Does psychotherapy work?
Meta-analyses (beginning with Smith & Glass, 1977) show psychotherapy is broadly effective, with debate over how much is due to specific versus common factors.

Methods for this concept

Related concepts