What are the main types of psychotherapy you know and when we can use them?
If you’re thinking of trying therapy, you might’ve already noticed the surprising amount of types available. Though some approaches work best for specific conditions, others can help with a range of issues. Show
In therapy, you’ll work with a trained mental health professional. What you’ll do in each appointment depends on the preferred methods of your therapist and the issues you’re looking to address. You can expect to spend some time discussing how challenging situations, emotions, and behaviors affect your life. This will likely involve working through some negative events or distressing thoughts. It may be difficult in the moment, but the end result is usually a happier, more fulfilling life. Here’s a look at some common types of therapy and how to choose which one is best for you. Psychodynamic therapyPsychodynamic therapy developed from psychoanalysis, a long-term approach to mental health treatment. In psychoanalysis, you can expect to talk about anything on your mind to uncover patterns in thoughts or behavior that might be contributing to distress. It’s also common to talk about your childhood and past, along with recurring dreams or fantasies you might have. How it worksIn psychodynamic therapy, you’ll work with a therapist to explore the connection between your unconscious mind and your actions. This involves examining your emotions, relationships, and thought patterns. Psychodynamic therapy can be a longer-term approach to mental health treatment, compared to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other types of therapy. Traditional psychoanalysis is an intensive form of treatment that people can go to for years. Research suggests many people continue to improve, even after they complete psychodynamic therapy. what it’s good for Behavioral therapyBehavioral therapy is a focused, action-oriented approach to mental health treatment. According to behavioral theory, certain behaviors develop from things you learned in your past. Some of these behaviors might affect your life negatively or cause distress. Behavioral therapy can help you change your behavioral responses. How it worksIn behavioral therapy, you won’t spend much time talking about unconscious reasons for your behavior or working through emotional difficulties. Instead, you’ll focus on ways to change behavioral reactions and patterns that cause distress. There are many subtypes of behavioral therapy, including:
what it’s good for Cognitive behavioral therapyCognitive behavioral therapy is a short-term approach to mental health treatment. It’s similar to behavioral therapy, but it also addresses unhelpful thought patterns or problematic thoughts. The idea behind CBT is that certain feelings or beliefs you have about yourself or situations in your life can lead to distress. This distress may contribute to mental health issues, occur alongside them, or develop as a complication of other mental health issues. How it worksIn CBT sessions, you’ll work on identifying patterns and learning more about how they might negatively affect you. With your therapist’s guidance, you’ll explore ways to replace negative thought patterns or behaviors with ones that are more helpful and accurate. Like behavioral therapy, CBT doesn’t spend much time addressing past events. Instead, it focuses on addressing existing symptoms and making changes. CBT often involves homework or practice outside the therapy session. For example, you might keep track of negative thoughts or things that trouble you between sessions in a journal. This practice helps to reinforce what you learn in therapy and apply your new skills to everyday situations. There are also some subtypes of CBT, such as:
What it’s good for Humanistic therapyHumanistic therapy is an approach that looks at how your worldview affects the choices you make, especially choices that cause distress. It’s based on the belief that you’re the best person to understand your experiences and needs. Humanistic therapists work to help you better understand what you’re experiencing, offering guidance and support without interpreting your feelings for you. How it worksYour therapist will help you work toward the goal of living your most fulfilling life, largely by enabling you to be your true self. You’ll spend time exploring ways to grow and increase self-acceptance along with discussing the issues you’re dealing with. Another important principle in humanistic therapy is unconditional positive regard. This simply means your therapist will accept you, even if they disagree with you on some things. Humanistic therapy is particularly useful for coping with negative judgement (perceived or real) from others. Generally, you’ll be the one directing the session. Your therapist will step in when needed, but otherwise they’ll be actively listening to you, occasionally asking questions to ensure they understand what you’re saying. Humanistic approaches to therapy include:
what it’s good for How to make a choiceWith so many options, it can feel overwhelming to commit to a specific kind of therapy. If you receive a mental health diagnosis from your healthcare provider, they may have some recommendations based on your needs. Ultimately, the choice is yours. Keep in mind that many therapists use a combination of techniques from different types of therapy. It’s also perfectly normal to try one approach, find that it doesn’t work for you, and try a different type. Therapy can be difficult, regardless of the approach you choose. You might feel uncomfortable or nervous about discussing mental health symptoms and personal thoughts with a stranger. This often gets easier with time. Whether you’re having a difficult time in life or have a mental health issue that causes serious distress, your therapist is trained to help without judgment. If you don’t feel they are, seek out a new therapist. If you’re not sure where to start, consider looking through the American Psychological Association’s database of therapists in your area. Most list the types of therapy they offer. As you contact potential therapists, keep a few things in mind:
Remember, it’s OK to change therapists or therapy types if one isn’t working for you. Keep trying until you find someone who feels right to you. What is the most common type of psychotherapy?The most common type of therapy right now may be cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). As mentioned above, CBT explores the relationship between a person’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It often focuses on identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with healthier ones.
What type of psychotherapy is the most effective and why?The most robustly studied, best-understood, and most-used is cognitive behavioral therapy. Other effective therapies include light therapy, hypnosis, and mindfulness-based treatments, among others.
What are the 6 approaches to psychotherapy?Fortunately, almost all of the many individual theoretical models of counseling fall into one or more of six major theoretical categories: humanistic, cognitive, behavioral, psychoanalytic, constructionist and systemic.
What is the most common psychotherapy approach today?Psychodynamic Counseling
Psychodynamic Counseling is probably the most well-known counseling approach. Rooted in Freudian theory, this type of counseling involves building strong therapist–client alliances.
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