Q4. Depressed patients, when they note their mood is worsening, should record in an automatic thought log the date and time of the thought, the situation, the automatic thoughts, their emotions, the adaptive responses they use and the outcome. This helps the client understand the frequency by which they are plagued with depressive thoughts, what situations provoke such moods, the type of (usually irrational) thinking processes that lead to the depressed mood, and how well they coped with the mood. The therapist can gain a sense of the degree to which the client is depressed, the client's coping mechanisms, and the degree to which the depressive stimulus is irrational (such as feeling rejected by a friend when the friend does not call) or real (a chronically ill parent at home).
Q5. Behavioral therapy can be problematic, given that different cultures reinforce different behavioral norms, and a child from a bicultural environment may not be subject to a consistent reinforcement schedule. Additionally, behaviors, as always, must be interpreted in light of the client's...
One technique used by Gestalt therapists is known as the 'empty chair' technique, whereby the clients will address an empty chair, which represents someone with whom the client has a conflict (Piotrowski 2003). By role playing, and playing both persons in an imagined dialogue, the client better understands the conflict and comprehends the degree to which he or she is projecting ideas upon another person.
References
Automatic thought record. Template available November 20, 2010 at http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/counseling/relax/ATR.pdf
Piotrowski, Nancy a. (2003, January). Gestalt therapy. Magill's encyclopedia of social science:
Psychology. University of California, Berkeley. Available November 20, 2010 at http://salempress.com/store/samples/magills_encyclopedia_of_social_science_psych/magills_encyclopedia_of_social_science_psych_gestalt.htm
