The Theories Of Counseling And Therapy - 3130 Words

According to Merriam-Webster, theory is defined as an idea or set of ideas that is intended to explain facts or events. In every profession, theories are necessary to help determine if facts are credible. Credible theories are based on ideas, observations, and research. They have been tested in studies to see if they are effective (Gladding, 2005). For a theory to be considered as a good theory, it must meet certain criteria. It must be clear and easy to understand, comprehensive, written in a way that invites others to explore its uses, contains guidelines that others can follow to achieve desired results, and it must be practical and provides strategies its followers may use under certain conditions (Gladding, 2005). Theories that are†¦show more content†¦This practice relieved pressure on the brain so some individuals actually saw improvement in their conditions (Lawson, 2012). Another treatment was the use of exorcism which was used to drive out evil spirits from mentally ill patients. This treatment was very common and usually conducted by clergy as the church was very influential during this time. Again, mental illness was believed to be cause by demons that took possession of the individual. It was not uncommon for everyone to wear charms, amulets, and use potions to keep evil spirits away. During the Roman rule, Hippocrates who is often referred to as the father of medicine, questioned prevailing superstitious beliefs and proposed more rational and scientific explanations for mental disorders. He believed that since the brain was the central organ of intellectual activity, deviant behavior was caused by brain pathology, a dysfunction or disease of the brain. Hippocrates considered heredity and environment important factors in psychopathology. This research led to the classification of mental illnesses into three categories – mania, melancholia, and phrenitis. He considered phrenitis as brain fever. According to vocabulary.com, phrenitis was an inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus. Symptoms included headaches, neck pain and drowsiness, fever and nausea. This term is no longer in use today. Hippocrates provided detailed clinical descriptions of disorders that fell into