You might be surprised when you see how many different types of therapy exist. By taking a look at the many varied types of therapy in the US right now, you can get a clear idea of how everyone is able to look for an approach that suits them perfectly.
A look at talking therapies
You might see the name talk therapy used, and this is definitely one of the most popular types of therapy right now. However, it’s important to realize that this isn’t a single therapy method but rather a group of different types that take differing approaches to treating mental and emotional issues.
These methods all include a trained therapist who deals with the patient in a professional manner, which can be done on a one-to-one basis, online or as a group. It’s typically used to treat depression, stress, anxiety and other issues. The exact type of talking therapy chosen for use should become clearer once we look at some of the different therapies in this category.
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Cognitive behavioral therapy
Commonly known as CBT, this is an approach that can help patients achieve a deeper understanding of their own behaviors and the unhelpful behaviors they might want to change in the future.
The sessions carried out with a therapist will typically be completed over a period of weeks or months, and that means that patients can use the time between sessions to put the behavioral changes that have been discussed into practice to see the results.
CBT is most often used for issues such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s also something that can be tried on a self-help basis through books and online courses, with guided self-help being a useful option combined with the help of a trained therapist.
Negative thoughts or damaging behaviors are uncovered and analyzed during these sessions. It can be a suitable type of therapy for wide-ranging issues such as substance abuse and ADHD. Exercises are typically assigned to be carried out between sessions, making it one of the most immersive kinds of talking therapy.
Counseling for depression
This next approach is specifically for those suffering from depression and looking for a way to deal with the difficulties this causes. It involves a patient speaking to a counselor about the reasons why they’re struggling.
Carried out in complete confidence, it can be a great way for patients to come to terms with the challenges in their life. It can be done in a single session or patients might have a group of sessions with a therapist to help them understand the causes of their depression.
Mindfulness-based therapies
You might have heard of therapies like mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). Like all mindfulness techniques, it’s focused on helping patients to understand their thoughts and feelings as they occur, in the present moment.
This is a type of therapy that can be extremely useful for people who have been successfully fighting depression and are looking for ways to stop it from coming back into their lives. In addition to cognitive therapy with a therapist, this treatment can also involve breathing exercises and meditation.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy / psychoanalytic therapy
The name psychodynamic psychotherapy sounds complicated, but the truth is that it’s one of the classic types of talking therapy that most people think about when discussing therapy techniques. This involves patients sitting down with a therapist and talking about things like their childhood experiences.
This can help patients understand how their previous experiences now affect their current thoughts, feelings and relationships. It’s typically carried out on a one-to-one basis with a therapist over several sessions.
Psychoanalytic therapy is similar to psychodynamic psychotherapy but there are differences, such as how long the sessions last and whether the focus is turned on the external world or centers on the patient’s internal thoughts and feelings.
Couples therapy
This type of therapy has alternative names such as behavioral couple therapy and couple therapy for depression. Couples sit down together with a therapist in an attempt to improve their relationship by understanding the issues both partners face.
Taking couples therapy can be a smart move at any stage of a relationship, as it gives the couple a way to try and resolve feelings of conflict or disconnection and start to build trust again. It’s important that both partners approach it willingly and with an open mind.
Humanistic therapy
This final category is divided into three different types: Gestalt therapy, client-centered therapy and existential therapy. These are all methods that put the focus on the patient and how they can discover the best possible version of themselves and unlock their potential.
All three of the different approaches work slightly differently. For example, Gestalt therapy is about the patient taking their life as it stands currently and looking at everything in the past in the context of where they are now. Meanwhile, existential therapy is about the patient’s free will to search for the meaning in life. Client-centered therapy lets the patient take control of the issues they want to explore.
How do you choose a type of therapy?
As you can see, there are many different types of therapy available. When getting started, patients should consider the issues that they want to resolve and then consider the options available.
Bear in mind that not everyone finds the perfect type of therapy for their needs on the first attempt. Many patients need to try two or more different approaches before finding the right kind of therapy that helps them exactly how they want it to.
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