Psychological intervention

A planned strategy that uses psychological methods to change thoughts, emotions, behavior, or coping and improve mental health or functioning.

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Cognitive behavioral therapy: A structured psychotherapy that targets interactions among thoughts, emotions, and behavior. It combines cognitive and behavioral methods to address problems through specific, testable strategies.
Psychotherapy: The use of psychological methods to treat emotional, behavioral, and mental health difficulties. It is the broadest clinical form of planned psychological intervention.
Psychological assessment: The systematic collection and interpretation of information about psychological functioning. Assessment identifies needs and informs intervention goals and choice.
Psychotropic medication: Medication that alters mental processes or behavior and is used to treat mental disorders. It changes mental health through pharmacological action rather than primarily through psychological methods.
Exposure therapy: A treatment that reduces fear and avoidance through planned contact with feared cues or situations. Repeated, structured exposure can alter learned fear and avoidance.
Group psychotherapy: Psychotherapy delivered to several participants together by one or more therapists. It uses interaction among participants as part of treatment.
Case formulation: A structured explanation of how a person's difficulties developed and what maintains them. A formulation connects assessment findings to a tailored intervention plan.
Psychiatric rehabilitation: Support that helps people with mental illness develop skills and pursue life goals in their communities. It emphasizes sustained functioning and participation, often beyond a discrete treatment strategy.
Behavior therapy: A treatment approach that applies learning principles to change maladaptive behavior. It changes behavior through reinforcement, practice, and other learning-based procedures.
Family therapy: Psychotherapy that works with family relationships and interaction patterns to address difficulties. It applies intervention to relational patterns rather than treating one person in isolation.