Types of Psychological Therapy

Therapy is a broad therapeutic program with several, far-reaching aspects. In this sense, therapy refers to the application of psychological techniques and processes to treat people suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. In psychology, there are several types of treatment. We’ll go through a few of the most popular varieties here.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychological treatment that is useful for a variety of issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol, and drug abuse issues, marital problems, eating disorders, and serious mental diseases. Numerous research studies indicate that CBT improves functionality and quality of life significantly. CBT has been shown in several trials to be as successful as, if not more effective than, other types of psychological treatment or psychiatric drugs.

It is critical to note that gains in CBT have been accomplished via both research and therapeutic practice. Indeed, CBT is a technique for which there is considerable empirical proof that the procedures created result in transformation. CBT differs from many other types of psychological treatment in this way.

CBT is founded on numerous fundamental ideas, including:

Inaccurate or unhelpful thinking is a contributing factor to psychological problems.
Unproductive patterns of behavior contribute to psychiatric problems.
People suffering from psychological disorders may be able to build stronger coping mechanisms.

CBT treatment often includes efforts to alter thought processes.

Among these strategies are:

Recognizing and then reevaluating one’s thinking distortions that are producing problems.
Developing a better understanding of other people’s motivations and actions.
Dealing with hardship by using problem-solving skills.
Increasing one’s confidence in one’s abilities.
Instead of avoiding one’s concerns, one should tackle them.
Playing a role to prepare for potentially uncomfortable interactions with people
Learning how to relax the body and quiet the mind.

CBT treatment includes:

Individual treatment
Group treatment
Writing therapy
Drawing Therapy
Play therapy

Exposure Therapy

To help patients confront their worries, exposure therapy was developed as a form of psychological treatment. Persons who are terrified of something tend to avoid the feared objects, people, or situations. This avoidance may help to alleviate scared feelings in the short term, but over time it might make them worse. In these situations, a psychologist may advise a regimen of exposure therapy to help break the cycle of avoidance and anxiety Psychologists create a safe environment for patients to be “exposed” to the things they avoid and are scared of during this sort of treatment. Exposure to the feared items, behaviors, or situations in a safe environment helps to reduce anxiety and avoidance.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a kind of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Its main goals are to teach people how to be present, to develop healthy coping strategies for stress, to manage their emotions, and to improve interpersonal relationships.

Despite being established to treat borderline personality disorder, DBT has been adjusted to treat several mental health concerns (BPD). It can help people who have difficulty managing their emotions or who engage in harmful behaviors (such as eating disorders and substance use disorders). This type of treatment is occasionally used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a type of psychotherapy that assists patients to recover from the physical and emotional discomfort brought on by upsetting life events.

Studies have shown that by utilizing EMDR treatment, patients can gain from psychotherapy in a way that used to take years to manifest. It’s a common belief that intense emotional anguish takes a long time to recover.

The use of EMDR treatment demonstrates that, like the body, the mind is capable of recovering from psychological trauma. Your body attempts to heal the wound when you cut your hand. The wound festers and hurts if it is irritated by a foreign item or a recurrent injury. Healing can continue after the impediment has been lifted. EMDR therapy shows that mental processes follow a similar course of action.

The way the brain processes information inherently leans toward mental wellness. If the effect of a frightening occurrence blocks or unbalances the system, the emotional wound festers and can result in severe pain. Healing can continue after the impediment has been lifted. Clinicians assist patients in triggering their innate healing processes by applying the specific protocols and techniques they learned in EMDR therapy training sessions.

There are eight phases of EMDR therapy. During one portion of the session, eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation) are employed. The client is instructed to keep various details of the event or idea in mind as the therapist’s hand glides back and forth across the client’s field of vision. This is done after the clinician has decided which memory to focus on initially.

Internal connections start to form and the clients start processing the memory and unsettling sensations as a result, for reasons thought to be related to the biological systems involved in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, according to a Harvard researcher. Successful EMDR treatment transforms the emotional significance of upsetting situations. For example, a rape survivor may go from feeling horrified and repulsed to firmly believing, “I survived it and I am strong.”

Unlike talk therapy, the insights patients get during EMDR treatment come more from their own rapid cerebral and emotional processes than from the clinician’s interpretation. Clients leave EMDR treatment feeling empowered by the very events that previously debased them, which is the overall result. Not only have their wounds healed, but they have also changed. The clients’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior are all strong markers of emotional health and resolution as a natural byproduct of the EMDR therapy process—all without talking in detail or assigning homework, as in other treatments.

Psychodynamic Therapy

A type of treatment with a comprehensive emphasis on the client’s perspective is called “global therapy,” or psychodynamic therapy. Instead of examining the client’s underlying wants, impulses, and desires, alternative, “problem-based” therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy focus on symptom reduction or elimination.

To achieve an understanding of their current selves, clients of psychodynamic therapists are guided to look for patterns in their emotions, ideas, and beliefs. Since psychodynamic theory maintains that early life events are enormously significant in the psychological development and functioning of an adult, it is frequently discovered that these patterns first appear in the client’s youth.

To assist the client to develop a more useful and positive sense of self, psychodynamic therapy seeks to help the client recognize significant parts of the puzzle that makes them who they are.

“We see the rewriting of a more comprehensive and helpful narrative of the patient’s life and experience as the core job of psychotherapy.” Richard F. Summers.

Humanistic Therapy

Humanistic psychology emphasizes helping individuals fulfill their potential by examining their individuality since it holds that humans are generally good. It is predicated on the notion that people have free will and are driven to actualize their greatest potential.

Humanistic treatment, which emphasizes people’s ability to make wise decisions and realize their full potential, goes hand in hand with humanistic psychology. This kind of treatment puts the client first and lets them steer the dialogue. In the process, they can address their issues and uncover their actual authentic selves.

The role of the therapist is that of a polite, nonjudgmental listener who directs the therapeutic process. They accept your experiences without attempting to change the topic of discussion.

Humanistic psychology’s foundational tenets include:

How you feel about yourself is a key factor in determining your behavior. This feeling is influenced by ideas, perceptions, and other factors.
It’s normal for you to want to use all of your potential.
Everyone can make choices, thus to grow personally and find fulfillment, you must accept responsibility for your actions.
With the correct circumstances, especially throughout childhood, people may be nice.
Each case should be handled individually by the psychologist because every client is unique and has various experiences.

Psychoanalytic Therapy

A type of talk therapy based on Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychoanalysis is known as psychoanalytic therapy. The method investigates how the unconscious mind affects your perceptions, emotions, and actions. It specifically looks at how your past experiences, frequently from infancy, may be influencing your present circumstances and behavior. Since Freud’s time, psychoanalytic therapies for emotional illnesses have made significant strides.

Psychoanalysts and patients in psychoanalytic treatment frequently have at least weekly meetings. Therapy sessions might last for weeks, months, or even years.

Psychoanalysts employ a range of strategies to understand your behavior. Among the more well-liked methods are:

Freud considered dream analysis to be the single most significant psychoanalytic technique. Psychoanalysts may analyze dreams to get insight into the operations of the unconscious mind. He frequently referred to dreams as “the royal path to the unconscious.”
During an activity called “free association,” a psychoanalyst will prod you to openly express your ideas. This may bring up unexpected connections and recollections.
Transference: When you project your sentiments about another person onto the therapist, transference takes place. Then you’ll talk to them as though they were that other individual. Your psychoanalyst can better understand how you connect with people by using this strategy.

Integrative or Holistic Therapy

Holistic therapy, also known as holistic psychotherapy or body-centered psychotherapy, is a form of integrative therapy that uses both conventional and alternative methods of treatment to benefit the individual as a whole.

It tries to assist individuals in healing and thriving on a deeper level by taking into account emotional, physical, and spiritual variables that impact a person’s well-being as opposed to concentrating on a specific issue.

Traditional talk therapy and unconventional methods like hypnosis, breath work, and meditation are combined in holistic treatment.

The phrase “holistic psychotherapy” is a catch-all that can refer to a variety of various types of therapies. Holistic therapists that provide this kind of care may self-identify as such, but they may also refer to their line of work as:

Eclectic or integrative therapy: A strategy used to best meet a person’s requirements by drawing from a variety of traditions and methodologies.

To promote health, a variety of approaches known as “mind-body therapies” concentrate on enhancing physical functionality and promoting relaxation.

Somatic therapy is a body-centered method that addresses mental health concerns including stress, trauma, and anxiety by using techniques like breathwork, dancing, and meditation.

A method of examining difficulties that a person experiences that combines spiritual faith and belief systems is known as spiritual therapy.