Responses

Hi BM,

Your discussion is exciting, and I certainly agree with you that psychotherapy has a biological basis. However, you state that the mechanism as a functional basis is not clear, which I refute. I would like you to look at it this way; the leading aim of psychotherapy is to alter a client’s brain such that they start thinking according to the therapist’s advice. The fact that the brain is involved means that biological functions must happen to alter the client’s brain. This is proved by Berezin (2017), who states that the maladaptive brain mappings are deactivated by psychotherapy, which paves the way for new and constructive pathways. Thus, psychotherapy is a biological treatment, as studies from neuroscience indicate (Boccia et al., 2015). Nevertheless, your discussion is good, especially where you have explained the impact of culture on the value of psychotherapy. You have stated that some cultures encourage openness while others might not. Nonetheless, that would be great if you explained using examples.

References

Berezin, R. (2017, December 7). Psychotherapy is THE biological treatment. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-theater-the-brain/201712/psychotherapy-is-the-biological-treatment

Boccia, M., Piccardi, L., & Guariglia, P. (2015). How treatment affects the brain: Meta-analysis evidence of neural substrates underpinning drug therapy and psychotherapy in major depression. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 10(2), 619-627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-015-9429-x

Hello JW,

You have an exciting approach, and I commend you for the extensive explanation of psychotherapy and the biological basis perspective. I particularly like your statement that genetics play a profound role in mental health. I feel that this could be true; however, I would appreciate it if you proved how biological genes affect mental health. From a study, I understand that assessing clients’ family history is necessary during psychotherapy, and it could actually affect patients’ mental health (Budge, 2015). For example, stress and family background. Howbeit, I do not clearly understand how passed genes play a role in mental health. Regarding ethical and legal implications, I would add privacy and confidentiality on top of coercion. It is one of the major ethical guidelines for people involved in psychotherapy, such as therapists and social workers (Hooley, 2016). Given that psychotherapy involves discussing various information concerning the client, it is ethical for therapists to respect clients by upholding privacy and confidentiality.

References

Budge, S. L. (2015). Psychotherapists as gatekeepers: An evidence-based case study highlighting the role and process of letter writing for transgender clients. Psychotherapy, 52(3), 287-297. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000034

Hooley, I. (2016). Ethical considerations for psychotherapy in natural settings. Ecopsychology, 8(4), 215-221. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2016.0008