What is social therapy?
Social therapy is a group therapy treatment that practicing uses people with a number of psychological problems such as phobia, anxiety and depression, as well as conditions such as autism and developing disabilities. This form of therapy is more focused on interaction in a group of social therapy rather than interaction on each other with a psychologist or advisor. An important idea in social therapy is that people learn and develop behavior by performing them, just as children learn how to do things by playing and imitating others. Proponents argue that this therapy can help people develop and change social behavior specifically by practicing or performing behavior in a group environment and that the interaction of the group is crucial for this kind of learning. This therapeutic approach is based on psychotherapy and has been described as psychotherapy focused on development.
This form of therapy has been developed since the 1970s, especially Fred Newman, a former PHD consultant in analytical philosophyand Lois Holzman, developmental psychologist. Both were active at the East Side Institute in the group and short -term psychotherapy, the Center for Practice and the theoretical development of social therapy. Newman and Holzman were also influenced by the works of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who believed that learning and development are more social than individual activities, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, an Austrian philosopher.
The use of social therapy for autism and Asperger syndrome is particularly common for children with these conditions. It is sometimes used as a therapy of social skills aimed at teaching social interaction in a group environment, often using conversation, stories, games and so -called teaching scripts. A specific type of social therapy entitled Stop to observe a deliberate act (soda) is a method of teaching the social problem of lighting to children with autism, which may have problems with understanding common social behavior and interactions. This oneRapeutic approach to the practice and teaching of social skills is also used for people who have other forms of disability.
Social therapy can also be used to treat conditions such as manic depression, anxiety and depression. Proponents argue that interactions and interviews in the group help suffering better to cope with their conditions and that this interaction of the social group is emotionally, spiritually and intellectually beneficial to participants. Social therapy was somewhat controversial, especially in its early days, and is not considered part of mainstream psychology or psychiatry, but in later years it gained a wider acceptance.