Biological Basis and Ethical-Legal Considerations of Psychotherapy

Biological Basis and Ethical-Legal Considerations of Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is considered a biological treatment that targets every biological regulation that underlies complex brain responses (Javanbakht & Alberini, 2019). Psychotherapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy increase top-down processing (that is, cortex to the limbic system), whereas Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and mindfulness increase down-to-top processing (limbic system to the cortex), hence implying a biological connection (Wheeler, 2020). As a result, one benefits from a re-elaboration of others and self by encountering new experiences and learning that comprises internal, emotional, and cognitive regulation processes. According to Javanbakht and Alberini (2019), effective therapies can produce lasting as well as measurable physical alterations in one’s brain. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.

Culture, socioeconomics, and religion are likely to influence an individual’s perspective of psychotherapy treatments. For instance, individuals from poor families with low educational status are less likely to seek psychotherapy treatments compared to those with higher income and educational status. Furthermore, some cultures, like the Irish, lay emphasis on the need for men not to express overt emotions, yet opening up is key in psychotherapy (Wheeler, 2020). African Americans also believe that mental health problems are a sign of weakness, and hence, help-seeking is low (Ward et al., 2013). Lastly, some cultures and religions common among African Americans insist on the need for airing problems to a higher being, and therefore, one’s problems are likely to be expressed to religious leaders as opposed to a psychiatrist.

Confidentiality is key in therapy, and hence, any limit on one’s privacy that is imposed to make official reports to parents and probation officers, among others, needs to be made clear (Nichols & Davis, 2019). Given that various family members are available in family therapy, the confidentiality of individual members might become difficult to uphold. This difference is likely to cause trouble for the therapist as it might disrupt the client’s trust.

References

Javanbakht, A., & Alberini, C. M. (2019). Neurobiological models of psychotherapy. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 13, 144.

Nichols, M.P., & Davis, S.P. (2019). The Essentials of Family Therapy (7ed). Pearson Education.

Ward, E., Wiltshire, J. C., Detry, M. A., & Brown, R. L. (2013). African American men and women’s attitude toward mental illness, perceptions of stigma, and preferred coping behaviors. Nursing research, 62(3), 185.