Glossary

repetitive and persistent behavior that violates the rights of others, societal rules, or age-expected rules, such as excessive aggression, destruction of property, and stealing

pattern of failing grades or underachieving in someone without a Learning Disability or other disorder

difficulties adjusting to a different culture that can occur after moving to a new or unfamiliar place

depression, anxiety, and/or behavior problems that occur after being in a stressful situation (not including someone's death) and cause difficulties at work, school, or home

problems related to adjusting to a new role as an adoptive parent or sibling or an adopted child, including attachment or bonding difficulties, feelings of being overwhelmed, anxiety, sadness, and anger

experiencing distress about being in public places, leaving home, and/or the fear of being trapped and unable to escape that may cause Panic Attacks

persistent use of alcohol that results in work, school, relationship, and/or legal problems, engaging in dangerous behavior, such as driving a car when drunk, or withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking, insomnia, and vomiting

memory difficulties, such as not remembering old information or not being able to learn new information, that is also associated with forgetting who people are or how to do or plan things and/or language problems

difficulties that include feeling angry for a very long time and/or about almost anything, frequent yelling or arguing with others, and/or being very physically aggressive that result in relationship problems or health problems, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and cancer

refusing to maintain a body weight at or above what is normal for the person's age and height and/or an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat even when underweight

disregarding and violating laws and the rights of others, lying to people to get things, frequently getting arrested or starting physical fights, and being unable to plan ahead or hold a steady job

feeling uneasy, worried, or fearful about an event, person, or thing that can be associated with rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and nausea

first seen in childhood, difficulty in social interactions, maintaining eye contact, developing friends, displaying emotions, and understanding the feelings of others as well as repetitive behaviors and movements, such as hand-flapping

being unable to pay attention to others or when working on a task, easily distracted, excessive talking, constantly moving or fidgeting, and/or often interrupting others

first seen in childhood, difficulty in social interactions, displaying emotions, and understanding the feelings of others, as well as repetitive behaviors and movements and communication problems, including delayed language development and repetitive use of words

feelings of sadness, guilt and worthlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, and thoughts of death in response to the death of loved one

intense mood swings that shift between a persistently normal or depressed mood and an elevated or euphoric mood with an inflated sense of self-esteem, low need for sleep, excessive talking, racing thoughts, and setting many goals

preoccupied with an imagined problem in appearance or overly concerned about a small physical imperfection

unstable moods, relationships, and views of the self, impulsive behaviors, fits of rage, shifting between loving and hating people, suicide attempts, and self-injurious behavior like cutting

excessively eating and feeling out of control when eating followed by behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain, such as vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise, and misuse of laxatives or medications

failure to provide child with basic needs or causing physical, psychological, emotional, or sexual harm

difficulties including a limited vocabulary, inability to recall, produce, or understand words or sentences, making errors in tense or speech sound production, and stuttering

difficulties in memory, attention, language, and problem solving in which a person becomes disoriented, not knowing where or when he or she is or who other people are

displaying a constant need to be taken care of, clinging or being submissive to others, fearing separation or the departure of close people, and problems making decisions or engaging in activities without seeking the advice or approval of others

feeling sad for most of the day almost every day, sleeping or eating too much or too little, not enjoying things that used to be enjoyed, feeling fatigued or lacking energy, difficulty concentrating, feeling worthless, and thinking about committing suicide

difficulties, such as sadness, anger, and worry, that concern marriage separation and/or the legal guardianship of a child

anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or behaviors such as repeatedly chewing and spitting out but not swallowing food or binge eating without vomiting, exercising, fasting, or misusing laxatives or medications

repeatedly defecating in inappropriate places, either involuntarily or intentionally, after the age of 4

repeatedly urinating in bed or clothes, either involuntarily or intentionally, after the age of 5

persistent failure to adequately eat associated with either significant weight loss or the inability to gain weight for at least 1 month before the age of 6

persistent identification with the opposite gender, such as cross-dressing and stating a desire to be of the opposite sex, feeling uncomfortable with his or her gender, or a sense of inappropriateness in the gender role for that sex

psychological services covering a variety of difficulties in people of all ages

experiencing excessive worry throughout the day related to many situations and actions that is associated with restlessness, rapid fatigue, poor concentration, low frustration tolerance, sleep difficulties, and difficulty controlling preoccupation with worry

difficulties, such as memory loss, attention problems, and feelings of anger, frustration, and sadness, due to injury to the head or brain, such as a concussion or skull fracture

difficulties, such as depression, anger, anxiety, and relationship or work problems, due to an HIV diagnosis

inability to maintain self-control and often performing actions to reduce tension and stress without even thinking about the consequences, includes Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Pathological Gambling, Kleptomania, Pyromania, and Trichotillomania

compulsive stealing, being unable to resist the urge to steal objects, especially ones that are not needed for personal use or have no monetary value, and/or experiencing enjoyment, satisfaction, or relief while stealing

reading achievement, mathematical ability, and/or writing skills that are significantly below the expected level in relation to the person's age, intelligence, and education

problems between partners that include lack of trust, infidelity, sexual difficulties, communication problems, feeling suffocated or unloved, financial concerns, unrealistic expectations, and boredom that cause significant distress

distress, depression, anger, and anxiety concerning a medical diagnosis, surgery, treatment, or medication

difficulties in functioning, including communication, self-care, home living, interpersonal skills, self-direction, academic skills, work, health, and/or safety, and low intellectual functioning (an IQ of 70 or below)

persistent thoughts, impulses, or images (such as "is my car locked" or "is the oven off") that are not excessive worries about real-life problems and cause considerable anxiety OR persistent behaviors or mental acts (like handwashing, checking, and counting) that are attempts at reducing distress and anxiety

in children, negative, hostile, and defiant behavior, including easily losing temper, arguing with adults, disobeying requests or rules, intentionally annoying people, being spiteful, and blaming others

experiencing intense fear and panic attacks (sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, heart pounding) that are unexpected, have no identifiable trigger, and cause frequent concern and worry about future panic attacks, their outcome, and negative thoughts, such as thoughts about losing control or going crazy

persistent sexual behaviors and difficulties that include exhibitionism, fetishism, pedophilia, masochism, sadism, and voyeurism

a disease of the brain that causes difficulties in motor skills, speech, and other difficulties, including muscle rigidity and tremors

being preoccupied with past gambling experiences, possible future gambling opportunities, and ways to get money in order to gamble, betting more and more money to become excited, and unsuccessful attempts to control or stop gambling

lasting problems that a person has experienced almost his or her entire life, including the inability to successfully adapt to situations or think about them differently, difficulty with self-control, and doing actions that almost always cause distress for self or others

difficulties beginning in childhood that include autism, asperger's syndrome, Rett's disorder (lack of expected head growth, movement and language problems), and Disintegrative disorder (losing previously acquired skills such as language, movement, and social skills, and bladder control)

difficulties related to a particular developmental phase or life event, such as entering school, leaving the home, starting a new career, relationship changes, and retirement

severe physical mistreatment of an adult or child, including punching, choking, kicking, cutting, false imprisonment, torture, and throwing objects

persistently eating substances that have no nutrition, such as clay, soil, feces, chalk, and paper, that is inappropriate for the person's developmental level for at least 1 month

use of at least 3 or more substances that results in significant work, school, legal, and relationships difficulties and physical danger

re-experiencing a traumatic event, such as war or sexual abuse, by having flash backs, unpleasant dreams, and/or distressing recollections about the event or anxiety when encountered with cues that are attached to the trauma

difficulties with a partner, child, or sibling, such as frequent arguing, fighting, and lying, that cause significant distress

experiencing hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not real), delusions (thinking people are out to get you, God speaks to you, etc.), disorganized speech (incoherent or jumping from topic to topic), movement disturbances, and/or flat or inappropriate affect

in childhood, the consistent inability to speak in social situations, such as school, despite speaking in other situations for at least 1 month (not including the 1st month of school)

in childhood, frequent excessive worry when separated from home or a major attachment figure, when separation is expected, or about losing or harm occurring to the attachment figure, and the refusal to go somewhere because worry of being separated

difficulties in sexual response or desire, including erectile dysfunction, female sexual arousal disorder, sexual aversion disorder, premature ejaculation, and female orgasmic disorder

difficulties including falling or staying asleep (insomnia), sleeping too much (hypersomnia), suddenly falling asleep during the day (narcolepsy), and breathing-related sleep problems

intense and persistent fear of social situations or performance anxiety in social settings that include fears of being scrutinized, embarrassed, or humiliated

a physical and psychological reaction to the demands and situations in life that helps people deal with these situations, stress that is helpful in getting things done is eustress, stress that is harmful or problematic is distress

difficulties in the normal fluency, timing, and pattern of speech that includes sound, syllable, or word repetition, pauses in speech, interjections, and pauses within words themselves

substance (drugs, alcohol, etc) use that results in significant work, school, legal, and relationships difficulties and physical danger

difficulties that include sudden, rapid, recurrent, stereotyped movements, sounds, or words that occur many times a day for at least a year

multiple sudden, rapid, recurrent, stereotyped movements, sounds, and words that occurs many times a day for at least a year

impulsive hair pulling that results in noticeable hair loss or "bald spots" that is associated with tension before hair pulling and relief or pleasure during hair pulling

focuses on the relationship between maladaptive behaviors and negative feelings with the aim of changing the consequences and conditions in which behaviors occur to change reactions

focuses on a specific problem using a direct, active problem-oriented approach with the goal of helping the person understand the situation in a broader, more functional way

focuses on changing the relationship among dysfunctional thoughts, actions, and feelings with a goal of modifying thoughts and changing behaviors to change emotional reactions

focuses on improving awareness of the present moment, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and acceptance of the self while acknowledging the need to change

focuses on family relationships and interactions and how all difficulties affect family members regardless of the original cause

focuses on problems as a whole by concentrating on what is being done, felt, or thought in the current moment

focuses on providing the person with empathy and unconditional positive regard to create a supportive relationship in which the person can reach their full potential for self-direction

focuses on helping people understand what is going on inside of them with the goal of knowing the self better to reduce problems and negative feelings

focuses on a person's unconscious conflicts and childhood events that are causing difficulties in daily life through free discussion, interpretation, and clarification

focuses on discovering the relationship between a person's unconscious thoughts and motivations that influence emotions and behavior

focuses on changing irrational beliefs that cause negative feelings and behaviors through disputation, rational thinking, and coping statements

individuals 18 years old and older

Black men and women with family origins in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America

men and women with family origins in the native peoples of the Americas

men and women with family origins in East, South, and Southeast Asia

individuals 12 and under

partners, children, siblings, and/or relatives

homosexual males and females

Latino men and women with family origins in Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, South America

men and women with family origins in India

males 18 years old and older

men and women with difficulties due to being from a multi-cultural background or adjusting to a new or different culture

individuals between 13 and 18 years old

females 18 years old and older

a psychologist appearing in court on behalf of a person or party as an expert witness

therapy that is conducted with multiple family members

therapy that is conducted with one or more therapists and small group of people

therapy that is conducted with a therapist and one person

therapy that is conducted with two partners in a relationship

tests that evaluate a person's level of cognitive functioning, including areas of orientation, memory, language, vision, and planning skills

therapy aimed at teaching different parenting skills, including active listening, praising, communicating, reflecting, and attending to children's behaviors

tests that evaluate a person's intelligence and emotional and behavioral levels of functioning