ERIC Number: ED233551
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983
Pages: 19
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Dealing with Mentally Retarded Adolescents and Adults in Community Settings.
Deutsch, Henri; Placona, Michael
Fifty-one professionals from fields of education, psychology, nursing, counseling, social work, and direct care completed a questionnaire intended to examine therapeutic approaches used with mentally retarded persons who are also emotionally disturbed. Questionnaires were accompanied by case studies of three mildly retarded young men. Treatments chosen with the greatest frequency were individual and family therapy, behavior modification, and group therapy. Out of a possible 306 treatment options, the choices of behavior modification and psychotherapy were selected 194 times. Selection of either approach was dependent on the type of case presented, suggesting that the decision may reflect basic social values and norms about the needs of certain types of clients. Neither degree or education appeared to affect treatment choice. When all cases were combined, psychotherapy was chosen more frequently than behavior modification. The two treatments were largely judged to be mutually exclusive, a view that may be an outgrowth of the history of behavior modification. (CL)
Descriptors: Health Services, Mental Health
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A