Counseling Theories and Anxiety

Counseling Theories PC6230

Final Paper

12/09/09

Introduction:

Anxiety is the primary learning problem in psychopathology. Anxiety can be learned with any given stimuli. For example a buzzer, a dog or flying in an airplane can cause a person to have anxiety. These are examples of responses evoked by certain stimuli. When anxiety becomes a habitual response to specific stimuli other behaviors become undermined or impaired which can result in tension headaches, upset stomach and sweating and difficulties sleeping. Most phobias are conditioned anxiety that leads to avoidance. For example driving to avoid taking an airplane to New York. Wolpe discovered that if anxiety can be learned through conditioning, it could be unlearned through counterconditioning.

Behavioral Therapy

One behavioral technique called Systematic Desensitization is used to reduce anxiety. Systematic Desensitization is a form of deep-muscle relaxation in response to anxiety, because muscles tend to tense up followed by muscle relaxation for 10 to 15 seconds. Clients are taught a relaxing activity by distinguishing the difference between when their muscles are tensed and when they are relaxed. The second step is to rank the anxiety in a hierarchy from the most anxiety arousing to the least anxiety arousing. With 10 to 20 scenes spaced equally from no anxiety being elicited to the most intense anxiety elicited. While thinking of Think of at least two relaxing scenes clearly and if any anxiety are experienced to lift the right index finger and continue to image the scene again for 10 seconds if no anxiety is elicited. If anxiety is elicited, then the client is instructed to stop imagining the hierarchy scene and go back to imagining the relaxing scene.

Once all scenes are successfully completed the client has to test the effectiveness by using in vivo desensitization by approaching the stimuli in the environment with the low hierarchies first before going to the stimuli that produce the greatest intensity of anxiety. The strengths of systematic desensitization are that it has been widely employed in clinical practice because of its successful outcomes and has been subjected to numerous innovations. However, the weaknesses of systematic desensitization can bring confrontation to the disturbing stimulus. Theory of psychopathology weaknesses includes ineffective strategies for solving problems with the clients. Individuals who learn ineffective strategies for approaching behavioral problems at a regular basis will begin avoiding the problem in hope that it will go away. This will eventually lead the problem to become out of control On the other hand clients who depend on authority for the best solution are being reinforced by depending on a psychotherapist. More skills on how to deal with these problems effectively in regards to their principles are what the client needs most.

The strengths of Systematic Desensitization are that the Relaxation training for anxiety has a ten-years systematic review with meta-analysis. The weakness of systematic desensitization is lack of recent quantitative meta-analysis. Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in the general adult population. Because of the many positive outcomes relaxation techniques for anxiety are highly recommended as an intervention. Medication has also been considered to be a form of relaxation therapy for anxiety but it alters the state of consciousness, which can lead to more maladaptive behavior.

"Relaxation training for anxiety: a ten-years systematic review with meta-analysis"

Critical Analysis:

A meta-analytic study was conducted to test the efficacy of relaxation training programs that have recently been used to treat and reduce anxiety disorder in general. A review of studies from the past 10 years was chosen and meta-analytical calculations were done based on effect sizes calculated from studies of both within and between groups. Results of between group analysis: 19 studies of subjects in a relaxation training treatment or in a group/comparison group were collected. With the effect sizes by relaxation training types, the applied relaxation had a higher effect size in comparison with all other treatments but not with meditation. The within group analysis with progressive realization is the most studied training among the papers including meta-analysis of studies with observation. With the effect sizes by relaxation training types, the progressive relaxation of applied relaxation, and autogenic training and meditation showed a great efficacy in decreasing anxiety with the combination of more than one methods and other techniques.

Although anxiety is the cause of most behavior disorders, anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to stress. Physiological symptoms from anxiety include increased blood pressure, increased pulse rate, increased muscle tension and pupil dilation. One recent situation where I experience anxiety was when I had to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people. When I had to go to the market I immediately begin to get nervous when I see the crowds of people in each row and I thought to myself how much of a challenge it would be just to get through the produce section. Fortunately I was meeting my boyfriend there to protect me from the shopping madness. Anyhow I seen that he had started to shop and I as well started to shop and ask did you get bread for example but for some reason I was so uncomfortable there the aisle were so crowded and you couldn't navigate without basically bumping into someone else which drives me crazy. When I think about it, I believe a have this 10-minute rule because I don't think I ever spend more than 10 minutes in a grocery store.

In 10 increments of 10's starting from 10 as being the lowest anxiety elicited and 100 as being the highest anxiety elicited.

10- I start to feel some anxiety with the thought that I have to go to the grocery store.

20- once I've made the decision to go to the store.

30- When I get to the parking lot and there's nowhere to park.

40- When I finally get parking and every space is taken and I have to drive in a few circles before I can find a parking space in the back.

50- When I finally find a parking spot and try to walk