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Problem-Solving Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology
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Synonyms

Behavioral intervention; Skills-based therapy; Treatment

Definition

Problem-solving therapy (PST), developed by Nezu and colleagues, is a non-pharmacological, empirically supported cognitive-behavioral treatment (D’Zurilla and Nezu 2006; Nezu et al. 1989). The problem-solving framework draws from a stress-diathesis model, namely, that life stress interacts with an individual’s predisposition toward developing a psychiatric disorder. The driving model behind PST posits that individuals who experience difficulty solving life’s problems or coping with stressors of everyday living struggle with psychiatric symptoms more often than individuals considered as good problem solvers. This psychological treatment teaches a step-by-step approach to the process of identifying and implementing adaptive solutions for daily problems. By teaching individuals to solve their problems more effectively and efficiently, this model assumes that their stress and related psychiatric symptoms will...

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References

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Correspondence to Sherry A. Beaudreau .

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Beaudreau, S.A., Gould, C.E., Sakai, E., Huh, J.W.T. (2015). Problem-Solving Therapy. In: Pachana, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_90-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_90-1

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