The best psychologists are familiar with all of the main, credible theories, and they understand how these theories work. Then, they use the theory that they believe will best help the patient. Sometimes, the theories are used in combination with one another, or parts of different theories are used to make up the whole of a treatment plan. In addition, a good psychologist should also see when conventional theories are not working, and be willing to go outside the box for a particular patient who needs help. When a psychologist is able (and willing) to use a lot of different approaches, he or she will have the best chance of actually treating - and possibly curing - a patient who would otherwise not be able to be helped based on only one type of theory or style of approach. People who need therapy or treatment may have similar problem, but they are still all different. The way that they are treated can strongly affect whether treatment is successful. Pg 2, Topic 2:...

However, labeling someone isn't always a good idea. If you tell someone that something is wrong with him or her, that can cause anxiety, depression, and other problems. The labeled person can feel as though he or she is nothing but the problem or disease, which leads to a lack of caring about anything else. A label can also easily become an excuse, i.e. 'The doctor said I have X, so I see that I can't do Y.' Diagnoses and labeling, though, really aren't the same. If you diagnose someone with a condition, that means a person who has that condition. If you label someone, the condition becomes his or her identity, which is much more unhealthy. A diagnosis gives a person a place to work from, whereas a label only brands them as a certain type of person and doesn't give them an opportunity for change. It can also bring a lot of guilt and shame to their families, where a diagnosis and treatment…