Popular Psychology Counseling Methods
Medically Reviewed By Whitney White, MS. CMHC, NCC., LPCToday, the demand for psychology therapy is at an all-time high. People are facing many different stressors and they require coping mechanisms and support. While counseling benefits are extremely well-documented, there are certain methods which are used more frequently than others.
Reviewing Commonly-Used Psychology Counseling Methods
Having extensive knowledge about which types of therapy are most commonly used can provide valuable insight into which therapy methodology is the right choice for you.
Group Counseling
Group therapy is the form of therapy treatment for individuals with similar disorders. The disorders can include substance use, anger management, depression, and other common psychological disorders. One of the amazing things about group therapy is that it brings people together and the psychologist offers therapeutic support and inclusion. Everyone is there in therapy for the same purpose and is therefore likely to feel more comfortable with opening up and sharing their psychological struggles with the therapy group.
In addition to therapeutic support, group therapy provides an excellent opportunity for the participants to psychologically learn and listen. Hearing about someone else's psychological challenges can be insightful and therapeutically eye-opening. Sometimes, therapy helps people to know that they are not alone in their feelings. The benefits and flexibility which come with group therapy are one of the many reasons why group therapy is commonly used.
Interpersonal Counseling
As the name suggests, interpersonal psychology therapy is all about helping people who struggle in relationships with others. The psychology of interpersonal therapy is one of the most common therapeutic modalities. Having healthy relationships with others is good for your health and happiness. That is one reason why this version of therapy is so widespread.
Interpersonal therapy focuses on the patient's ability to maintain healthy relationships with the people around them. The underlying causes can vary. This therapy aims to help the patient begin to heal psychologically and learn to develop healthy, positive relationships with the people around them.
Some people ask these common questions about the topic:
Cognitive Behavioral Counseling
Cognitive behavioral therapy centers around the weight which thoughts have on each's behavior. This kind of therapy works to shape your thoughts in order to psychologically change the behavior. In essence, this variation in psychological therapy focuses on helping patients improve their thoughts to change unwanted or undesirable behaviors. Like other types of treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy is all about getting to the root of what causes certain thoughts and then introducing new ways of thinking. This therapy helps the patient improve their behavior and quality of life.
Taking note of psychological triggers and various patterns in thoughts and behaviors is a part of the cognitive behavioral therapy process. When the reasoning and psychology of thoughts and behaviors are understood, then the therapist can begin working towards changing the psychology in therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy takes time and can be challenging, but when it's done, this type of psychological treatment has a significant impact on the lives of patients.
Family Therapy
As the name suggests, family therapy is a type of psychological treatment which revolves around the family and solving existing issues or struggles. This therapy is more common than most people realize and it plays such a critical role in society. When a family is struggling or unable to get along with the others, nobody wins. If children are involved, the disagreements can be even more harrowing.
While family therapy is fairly common, it does share a separate distinction from other kinds of psychological therapy. Put simply; family therapy is only most effective when all members are involved, and eager to participate and improve their situation through therapy. If only some of the family members are present during therapy sessions, then that will significantly complicate the job of the therapist and the family's success.
Having An Idea Of Your Desired Endgame Is A Good Idea
Whenever you're in therapy, having an idea of what you hope to get from the session is so important. This doesn't mean that you have to have everything figured out, but having a general idea of areas in which you would like to improve in therapy can be helpful for both you and your therapist. At the beginning of your sessions, your therapist may ask what you're hoping to get from psychological treatment, or which areas which you think could use the most improvement.
Be Open To Feedback From Your Therapist
Trying therapy is an amazing step towards improving your quality of life. Now that you have embarked on this journey, your openness to what your therapist has to say is going to be so important. Sometimes, your therapist may recommend certain lifestyle changes which may not be comfortable. They may advise you to make a different decision and reconsider the thought patterns which you have grown accustomed to. This may be difficult, but ultimately, your therapist has your best interest at heart. It is their job to help you evolve in a way that you want.
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Improvements Take Time
Understanding that the therapeutic process takes time to run its course is one of the most advantageous things to remember as you embark on this journey. Sometimes people go into therapy expecting a quick and instant fix, but psychological therapy simply doesn't work that way.
It takes time for your therapist to get to know you, understand your situation and what brought you to therapy. It takes time for the changes which they recommend to be implemented, and that's understandable. Issues don't develop within the blink of an eye, and they also aren't resolved in the blink of an eye. Remaining patient, open-minded and receptive as you go through this journey is going to be very beneficial to you, both in the short-term and in the long-term.
A Final Word
Psychological therapy is so very broad with a multitude of variations. Certain types of psychology treatment will work for certain individuals, while others are better suited for others. At the end of the day, when you're working with a therapist, you're doing so for your improvement and benefit. Going through this process will allow you and your therapist to get to the root of the issues which exist. Once the underlying issues have been discovered, then you can begin to heal and improve the quality of your life.
If you are interested in taking therapy or simply would like to have someone to talk to, then you've come to the right place. Here at BetterHelp, we have an awesome team of world-class professionals who would be more than thrilled to work with you. Regardless of who you are or what you may be going through, everyone needs help sometimes, and there is no shame in admitting this. It's one of the strongest, bravest decisions you can make.
Therapy and help will always be available to those who ask. You can get started with BetterHelp at any time from anywhere simply by clicking here.
Counseling Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the different kinds of psychology therapies?
The different types of therapy are:
- Psychodynamic and Psychoanalysis Therapies. This is a person centered therapy that focuses on changing problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by exploring their unconscious beliefs and motivations. Therapies that are psychoanalytically inclined usually involve a close and mutual working relationship between a therapist and patient. Therapist find a psychology treatment that suits the personality of their patient. This therapy doesn’t involve whole family systems.
- Behavior Therapy. This method centers on the role of learning in developing both abnormal and normal patterns through behavior.
- Cognitive Therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (cbt) centers on the psychological thoughts of people rather than their actions.
Humanistic Therapy. Humanistic therapy is a psychology method that focuses on the capacity of an individual to make informed decisions and maximize their potentials to promote personal growth.
- Renowned philosophers, such as Søren Kierkegaard, Martin Buber, and Jean-Paul Sartre, immensely contributed to humanistic therapy.
- Three of the most influential types of humanistic therapy include Client-centered Therapy, which does not see therapists as the ultimate authorities of the inner experiences of their clients. Instead, the therapists should help their clients experience positive changes by highlighting their interest, care, and concern.
- Gestalt therapy focuses on what it terms "organismic holism," the significance of being conscious of the present moment and being responsibility-compliant.
- Existential therapy emphasizes the search for purpose, self-determination, and free will.
What Are Two Main Methods of Treatment For Psychological Disorders?
What Are the Four Types of Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy has different approaches. Each individual has a method that works best for him or her. Most therapists normally utilize more than one of these approaches when addressing the problem solving capacity of their patient. Before find a therapist that specializes in this field you should know the four types of psychotherapy:
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a goal-oriented, short-term therapy that centers on the bridge between our cognition (thoughts) and our behaviors (actions). It positively changes the thought patterns that lead to incapacitating, unproductive, and unhealthy behavior.
Psychotherapists normally employ this method when handling people with depression, anxiety, phobias, or stress. Also, it is popular among individuals that want to fully recover from harmful addictions and habits, like gambling, overeating, or smoking.
2. Psychodynamic Therapy
Of all the types of therapy psychodynamic therapy focuses on how some relationships and life events, both present and past, influence your present choices, relationships, and feelings. It intends to help people understand and acknowledge repressed emotions and negative feelings to help them address internal psychological struggles and improve their relationships, self-esteem, and life experiences. To find a therapist in this field is to make a worthy investment into your psychological health.
3. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavior therapy. Its main goal is to provide people with the requisite skills to live mindfully, improve their relationships, handle stress, and control their emotions. Originally developed to treat people living with a borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy is now employed to treat different psychological conditions and is thought to be particularly important for people with apparently intense negative, uncontrollable emotions.
4. Humanistic/Experiential Therapy
Unlike the behavioral-centric therapies discussed above, experiential/humanistic therapy centers on the nature of an individual instead of the mix of different behaviors that constitute a certain psychological cluster. The holistic approach of this therapy type focuses on the individual as a whole, particularly their ability to find meaning, heal, and grow via self-exploration. People living with depression anxiety eating disorders, and unhealthy self-esteem normally seek this method. Usually most therapist find a psychology treatment that effectively manages any psychological disorder they are faced with.
What Are The 4 Types Of Talk Therapy?
According to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the four types of talk therapy are:
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Dialectic behavior therapy (DBT)
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Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT)
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Humanistic therapies
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Psychodynamic therapies
Other Types of Talk Therapy
• Arts Therapies
Art therapy attachment based method is one that helps you to express your feelings through art (music, drawing, painting, dance, or theatre). For instance, music therapy will help you release repressed emotions and make you feel happier.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy deals with how you can link your state of mind with how you relate to the people around you. It is a helpful therapy for people with different types of depression and eating disorders. Find a psychology treatment center that is competent enough to handle your needs. Also, you can find a support group that you can freely relate to.
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Gotham Method
What Type Of Psychotherapy Is Best For Anxiety?
Cognitive-behavioral Therapy (cbt) is the most commonly used kind of therapy used in the psychological treatment of anxiety disorders. Of all the types of therapy studies have revealed that it is also effective for treating generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, etc. To find a therapist you can explore a renowned psychological health treatment provider called BetterHelp. Most people find a treatment centre that is closer to their home, but with BetterHelp access is not a barrier. Also with this online platform you can relief nerves that come when you choose to find a support group.
Parent child interaction therapy incorporates communication that strengthens family relationship over time. This kind of therapy is more intimate than what you get when you find a support group.
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ADHD
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Depression
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Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders
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Eating Disorders
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OCD
On the other hand, a psychotherapist is a psychologist or a physician who has undergone some interpersonal psychotherapy training to help in the psychological health treatment of their clients. Sigmund Fred is the first known psychotherapist, and psychoanalysis is the first psychotherapy school.
