Eclectic psychotherapy is a form of

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

in which the clinician uses more than one theoretical approach, or multiple sets of techniques, to help with clients' needs. The use of different therapeutic approaches will be based on the effectiveness in resolving the patient's problems, rather than the theory behind each therapy.

Background

Over the history of

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and persona ...

, many therapeutic approaches have been created as stand-alone methods. Eclectic psychotherapy, which involves using multiple therapeutic methods, attempts to avoid the dilemma of choosing one method by utilizing multiple approaches. Therapists may be trained in one particular method or theoretical orientation, but may shift to a more eclectic approach, adding other methods to their original training. A therapist can also be trained as eclectic. Psychotherapists-in-training are typically exposed to a variety of different methods and theories. Eclectic psychotherapy might include using a

behavior modification Behavior modification is an early approach that used respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior. Based on methodological behaviorism, overt behavior was modified with consequences, including positive and negative reinforcement conti ...

approach for one symptom and a psychoanalytic approach for a second symptom. An eclectic psychotherapist may use one mode of treatment for one patient and a different one for another patient.

Types

Overview

All of the following listed types of psychotherapies are different forms of eclectic psychotherapies. The decision to use or not use each form may be based upon therapist preference, patient preference or effectiveness for certain presenting problems.

Brief

Brief eclectic psychotherapy, as the name suggests, is a short-term form of psychotherapy using an eclectic approach. It often consists of a combination of cognitive-behavioral and

psychodynamic Psychodynamics, also known as psychodynamic psychology, in its broadest sense, is an approach to psychology that emphasizes systematic study of the psychological forces underlying human behavior, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate t ...

approaches over a limited number of sessions, often sixteen or fewer. The term brief eclectic psychotherapy may be defined in several different ways, but is generally regarded as just short-term eclectic psychotherapy. One specific form of brief eclectic therapy is brief eclectic therapy for traumatic grief (BET-TG).

Posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threat ...

(PTSD),

major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

(MDD), and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) can all be treated with BEG-TG.

Systematic

When using the systematic eclectic psychotherapy approach developed by Larry E. Beutler and colleagues in the early 1990s, the therapist bases his or her choice of treatment method on four key factors: client characteristics, the context of treatment, relationship variables, and specific strategies and techniques "that will maximally focus on relevant problems, manage levels of client motivation, overcome obstacles to successful resolution of problems, achieve treatment objectives, consolidate treatment gains, and prevent or reduce relapse". Unlike brief eclectic psychotherapy, there is not necessarily a limit on the number of sessions. The therapist chooses the approach that he or she believes will be most helpful to the patient based on evaluation of the four factors.

Prescriptive

The focus of prescriptive eclectic psychotherapy, described in 1978 by Richard E. Dimond and colleagues, is to create a personalized treatment plan for each client that is based on a combination of different theories and techniques, while sticking to a structure that is based on research. The therapy allows the therapist to use multiple theoretical approaches, but must be rooted in evidence from psychological research. The psychotherapist must not only choose the type of psychotherapy used, but also the type of

therapeutic relationship The therapeutic relationship refers to the relationship between a healthcare professional and a client or patient. It is the means by which a therapist and a client hope to engage with each other and effect beneficial change in the client. In psy ...

that should be utilized. There is a great emphasis on using

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of healthcare science that determines the safety and effectiveness ( efficacy) of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use. These may be used for prevention, treat ...

and prior clinical knowledge in determining how to move forward with treatment.

Technical

Technical eclectic psychotherapy focuses only on using multiple techniques and ignores the theoretical background of those techniques. In this form of eclectic therapy, the therapist uses a variety of techniques based on what is expected to help the patient. Theory is not considered an important factor in this approach, as only the techniques used matter. Depending on the techniques selected by the therapist, the methods of treatment may come from similar psychological schools of thought or completely opposite ones. One form of technical eclectic psychotherapy is

multimodal therapy Multimodal therapy (MMT) is an approach to psychotherapy devised by psychologist Arnold Lazarus, who originated the term ''behavior therapy'' in psychotherapy. It is based on the idea that humans are biological beings that think, feel, act, sense, ...

, developed by

Arnold Lazarus Arnold Allan Lazarus (27 January 1932 – 1 October 2013) was a South African-born clinical psychologist and researcher who specialized in cognitive therapy and is best known for developing multimodal therapy (MMT). A 1955 graduate of South Africa' ...

starting in the 1960s.

Comparison with integrative psychotherapy

The terms integrative psychotherapy and eclectic psychotherapy are sometimes used interchangeably, but the two terms are not synonymous. The

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

lists the two types of therapies as unique and different types of psychotherapies. Both eclectic and integrative psychotherapy combine the use of multiple psychological theories. Integrative psychotherapy tends to place greater emphasis on the theories being combined, while eclectic therapy tends to be more outcome focused. An eclectic psychotherapist will use whatever theory will help his or her patient and an integrative psychotherapist will use one theory to complement another.

References

{{Psychotherapy Integrative psychotherapy