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LifeWorks Glossary of Therapy Terms

Affect: pattern of noticeable traits that express emotion, which fluctuate.

Some types of Affect:

• blunted: emotional drop off
• flat: no expression, stereotypical male (especially when watching golf)
• inappropriate: discrepancy in visual and verbal expression
• labile: spontaneous, impulsive, erratic changes in expression (14 year old girl)
• restricted: decrease in expressed affect

Agitation - emotion expressed by therapists when

1. A client no-shows
2. A client drops an oh by the way bomb on the way out the door
3. Mels parking spot is occupied

Amnesia - loss of memory

1. Anterograde - loss of memory that occurs after a traumatic event
   (e.g.. creating a website)
2. Retrograde - loss of memory that occurs before an event
   (e.g.. packing a suitcase)

Anxiety tension, internal or external, due to anticipatory danger (e.g. shoe sale)

Attach create emotional ties, secure emotional communication

Attention Ability to focus on specific stimuli (e.g. Vin Disel, Carmen Electra)

Boundaries mutual understanding on lines within and between relationships.

Connect to become united or linked

Content words that are spoken

Defense Mechanisms process in which we unconsciously protect ourselves from internal/external stressors or dangers

Delusion a false belief based on incorrect knowledge about reality (e.g. world view developed during childhood)

Disorientation confusion about time of day, place, or person (e.g. lack of sleep, intoxication)

Dissociation disruption of normal consciousness. Often occurs during the holiday season, planning a wedding, and during graduate school.

Distractibility inability to maintain attention, jumps from one topic to another without reason (when Mel or Harry are in manic mode)

Engage participate in an activity or relationship

Flashback a recurrence of memory, or feeling from an experience in the past (Remember the '80s: hyper color, spandex, scrunch socks, and big hair)

Grandiosity inflated evaluation of one's worth (I'm perfect: if you don't believe me, just ask ME!)

Process application of content, non-verbals, and overall knowledge of individual.

Stuck inability to move forward or digress in therapy (otherwise known as analysis paralysis)

State of the Union Personal description of how an individual perceives his or her present emotional state (therapist to clients in marital sessions: what's the state of the union today?)

Good Grateful Optimistic, Open-Minded, Determined

Fine (therapist: How are you today? Client, exhibiting obvious discrepancy between content and process: FINE) Freaked-out, Insecure, Neurotic, Emotional

Stressor any life event or life change that contributes to the onset of a mental disorder (e.g. house breaking a puppy)