Key Ideas in Therapy: Track 1

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What are are they key factors to successful therapy? This series looks at three elements important to producing a positive outcome. Firstly, the therapist and client need to have a good relationship. Secondly, the therapist needs need to be able to give the client their full attention. Finally the therapist needs to look beyond the individual to the social systems around them, such as family and work, which might be where the client's emotional problems come from.

By: The OpenLearn Team (The Open University)

  • Duration 7 minutes
  • Updated Friday 4th September 2015

Track 1: The Therapy Relationship

What’s more important, finding the right therapy or finding the right therapist? There are a wide range of therapeutic approaches out there in the health marketplace, so how do you know which one is right for you? It turns out that the type of therapy might be less important that the type of therapist you get. This film looks at why the relationship between therapist and client is so important. This animation was developed by Dr Naomi Moller, Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, and Damn Fine Media.



Tracks in this podcast:

Track Title Description
1 The Therapy Relationship What’s more important, finding the right therapy or finding the right therapist? There are a wide range of therapeutic approaches out there in the health marketplace, so how do you know which one is right for you? It turns out that the type of therapy might be less important that the type of therapist you get. This film looks at why the relationship between therapist and client is so important. This animation was developed by Dr Naomi Moller, Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, and Damn Fine Media. Play now The Therapy Relationship
2 Beyond Individual Therapy Originally most forms of psychotherapy focused on the individual client and their individual problems. However later researchers stressed the importance of looking beyond the individual - to their relationships and to the wider social systems they live in. The ‘systemic view’ is interested in how these factors impact on individual well-being and distress. This film tells the story of the development of systemic ideas and provide an understanding of how the client context is of value for counsellors and psychotherapists across all therapeutic approaches, as any individual client is inevitably embedded within a social system. This animation was developed by Dr Andreas Vossler, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, and Damn Fine Media. Play now Beyond Individual Therapy
3 Being Present in Therapy What is ‘being present’? Why does it matter? How can you achieve it? One of the key skills for a counsellor or psychotherapist - and a key element of the therapeutic relationship - is the ability to be ‘present’ to the client whatever material they bring into the room. This film explores what ‘being present’ means, both in relation to the therapist capacity to sit with clients’ material, and in relation to the client becoming more able to be present to themselves and sit with their experiences and difficult emotions. These things are emphasised across all therapeutic approaches, but mindfulness in particularly has some tools for developing the capacity to be present. This animation was developed by Dr Meg-John Barker, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, and Damn Fine Media. Play now Being Present in Therapy

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The OpenLearn Team

The OpenLearn Team (The Open University)

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