brief psychotherapy

any form of psychotherapy intended to achieve positive change during a short period (generally 10–20 sessions). Brief psychotherapies rely on active techniques of inquiry, focus, and goal setting and tend to be symptom specific. They may be applied on an individual or group level and are used in the treatment of a variety of behavioral and emotional problems. There are numerous different types, such as brief cognitive behavior therapy, brief play therapy, brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, focal psychotherapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy. Also called short-term psychotherapy. Compare intensive psychotherapy.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

July 27th 2024

trinucleotide repeat

a contiguous repetition of the same three nucleotides within a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA). The occurrence of extra trinucleotide repeats in certain genes causes dysfunction, inluding Huntington’s disease and fragile X syndrome.