Meta Description: Are you interested in trying out therapy but are confused? This guide provides an introduction of some common therapeutic techniques that you may use in therapy.
Therapy can literally save lives. Unfortunately, research from the World Health Organization shows that around 65% of people that have mental health issues never get a therapist.
You will need to explore your options if you want therapy. If you’ve done any research into the possibility of trying therapy, you’ve probably noticed there is a staggering range of options. Some approaches work better than others in specific scenarios, but others can be useful in various contexts. As part of your emotional health and wellness, you will need to work with a trained professional in counseling. The specifics of each arrangement will be determined by your therapist’s preferred methods and the specific concerns you wish to address.
Types Of Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy, which is derived from analysis, is a protracted approach to mental health treatment. During therapy, you can expect to address anything on your mind to identify patterns in your thoughts and actions that may have contributed to the issue. It is also common to describe your adolescence and history, as well as any recurring desires or fantasies.
How It Functions
Psychodynamic therapy explores the link between your subconscious and your behavior with the help of a trained professional. Examining your emotional state, connections, and mental designs are all part of this process. Compared to CBT and other forms of therapy for mental health, psychodynamic therapy is often a longer-term approach.
What It’s Best For
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders
- Somatic signs and symptoms
- Addiction to substances
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral Therapy is an interactive, activity-based approach to mental health therapy. According to the conduct hypothesis, some behaviors develop from things acquired in the past. A percentage of these habits may negatively affect your life or give you problems.
How It Works
In behavior therapy, you will not spend much time exploring the irrational reasons for your behavior or working through emotional issues. You will focus on modifying social responses and problematic patterns in all of your behavioral treatment sessions.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is typically administered for shorter durations in terms of mental health care. It’s very much like behavioral therapy but also targets destructive or otherwise dysfunctional ways of thinking. The core premise of CBT is that unhelpful patterns of thinking and feeling, whether about yourself or external circumstances, can contribute to emotional suffering. This anxiety can be a precursor to coexist with, or even emerge as a complication of mental health problems.
How it works
You will focus on recognizing patterns and gaining insight into how these patterns may be impacting your life in CBT sessions. You and the therapist will work together to identify unhelpful thought patterns and actions and then find more realistic and beneficial alternatives. Much like behavioral therapy, CBT doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on reflecting back. Instead, it emphasizes doing something about the problems that already exist. Homework or additional practice outside of sessions is common in CBT.
What It’s Good For
CBT may be an effective treatment for:
- Mood illnesses such as depression and manic-depressive illness
- Nervousness and phobias
- Eating disorders
- Drug use disorders
- OCD
- Insomnia
- Signs of schizophrenia
CBT can also be quite useful for certain disorders when paired with medication.
Humanistic Therapy
This approach recognizes each individual’s uniqueness and capacity to make informed decisions by working from the premise that they know what’s best for themselves. When taking a humanistic stance, you start by believing that you know best about your own life and have unlimited potential. Instead of being an authority on the meaning of your ideas and feelings, your therapist may serve more as a form of support, compassion, and empathy. This treatment modality may emphasize honesty, responsibility, as well as self-acceptance.
How It Works
Humanistic therapy is similar to gestalt therapy in that it focuses on the here and now. The emphasis in talk therapy is on the here and now rather than dwelling on the past. Your therapist provides you with a secure environment in which you can rediscover your true self and be validated by their empathic validation of your viewpoint.
What It’s Best For
Humanistic therapy may be helpful if you feel that your inability to accept yourself prevents you from living the life you desire. A sort of treatment that encourages you to embrace and revel in your individuality. Humanism is based on the idea that you already possess all of the knowledge and insight you’ll ever need, and its goal is to help you develop this understanding to its full potential.
Addicts, people with low self-esteem, people with relationship problems, people feeling like they don’t matter, and those with schizophrenia all benefit from this treatment method. You can choose whether you want to engage in short- or long-term therapy and how quickly you want to see results.
Online therapy
Counseling is a form of mental health care, and online counseling is the provision of this service using electronic means, such as the Internet, mobile apps, video conferencing, text messages, email, and so on. Some people may feel more at ease discussing sensitive matters like mental health, including emotions, problems, and aspirations, online rather than face-to-face.
Some therapists are more likely to provide therapy outside of regular office hours, and patients can receive services without leaving their homes. Since it is now easier to get therapy, more individuals are using it, and therapists may provide more services to a broader range of clients.
You can see some significant benefits from online therapy. Of course, they both have their pros and cons.
Consider Your Options When Seeking Therapy
Numerous types of therapy are available, and it might be challenging to choose one. If your doctor gives you a diagnosis related to your mental health, they can provide you with some recommendations tailored to your specific situation. It’s up to you to decide what to do. It’s essential to keep in mind that many therapists integrate elements from a variety of approaches. It’s also common to give one method a shot, realize it doesn’t work, and switch to another.
