In transactional analysis, the person is often described as reliant upon ritualistic games. These games are defined as a series of rule-bound transactions between two or more people that are directed towards an end. The goal of therapy is often seen as getting people to change the games that they play by coming to a higher awareness of their own end goals in life. Ultimately, the person is expected to be able to objectively view their role in the world they live in.

Group therapy, like individual therapy, refers to the format of treatment, rather than a treatment orientation. A behavioral orientation might cause a therapist to focus on how the patient should change their behavior, while a cognitive orientation might cause a therapist to focus on their patient's thoughts. A therapist with a psychoanalytic orientation is probably influenced by the work of Freud and interested in the unconscious. One with a humanistic orientation would be more influenced by Carl Rogers and focus on patients achieving self-actualization.

Humanistic psychology arose during the 20th century to address the limitations of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. It is commonly regarded as the third wave of psychology. Influential humanistic theorists include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. It assumes that people are good, unique, and have an innate desire for personal growth. Carl Rogers's person-centered therapy emphasizes empathy and unconditional positive regard when working with clients. One criticism of humanistic psychology is that it is difficult to study because it cannot be objectively measured. Bringing the unconscious into the conscious is a goal of psychoanalysis, not humanistic psychology.

Tertiary prevention is preventing an illness from getting worse. This kind of prevention is used when the illness is permanent and/or chronic. An example would be an alcoholic who, already having quit alcoholic, keeps attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since this stabilizes them in periods during which they may be tempted to drink alcohol again.

The biological approach to treating a mental illness addresses chemical imbalances, lesions in the brain, or some physical illness that may be underlying the psychological symptoms. Most of the time this involves prescribing drugs to stabiliize the patient and restore balance in the brain and body.

The cognitive approach to treating mental illness is designed to find maladaptive and harmful thought patterns and to replace them with healthier ones. This is the most effective in treating less extreme disorders, where ruminating or negative thought patterns may be causing a lot of the suffering. For instance, a person with low self-worth may constantly think people are attacking them personally, but a cognitive therapist may have the patient reframe their thinking so that they don't take everything personally. This encourages the patient to become more holistic in their thinking and stop propagating bad thoughts about themselves.

Operant conditioning as a therapeutic technique covers a wide range of possible therapeutic objectives. Operant condition uses a common strategy consisting of reward/punishment mechanisms that reinforce desired behavior and eliminate or reduce undesired behavior.

“Jung and Gestalt Therapy” is the only choice that contains an incorrectly matched pair of theorist and theory. Carl Jung founded analytical psychology, which is a split off from Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis. Analytical psychology focuses on archetypes, the collective unconscious, and individuation. Fritz Perls developed Gestalt therapy, which focuses on personal responsibility, the present moment, and increasing self-awareness

Carl Jung had a generally compassionate attitude towards the mentally ill, who had traditionally been punished and mistreated by the societies they inhabited, especially with the development of industrial society. He believed that the mentally were labelled by society as disturbed due to the fact that they may have stories, beliefs, or attitudes that society as a whole rejects. This could be a number of things-people who are not Christian, who believe in the paranormal, or who have customs and practices that aren't acceptable. He thought the key to healing the mentally ill was through dream analysis and giving an attentive ear to their personal stories that have been suppressed.

The point of view taken towards mentally ill people in the Middle Ages was deeply religous. As such, they were seen as people possessed by demonic spirits who could be treated through exorcism or a process called trephining. In trephining, one made holes in the skull, which were supposed to allow the evil spirits to escape. Other mentally ill people were persecuted and sent to jail. Some observers of the time, mainly philosophers, began to hint at biological explanations for mental illness but this did not become a prominent point of view until much later on.