Types Of Psychological Therapy
- For those experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988
- For those experiencing abuse, please contact the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- For those experiencing substance use, please contact SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
When people struggle with mental health challenges, they may turn to therapy to learn different types of coping mechanisms and receive support from a therapist. There are many potential benefits of therapy, and there are a variety of types available to help individuals understand and address their concerns. Different types of therapy offered by mental health professionals, such as licensed professional counselors and family therapists, help individuals understand their concerns and find ways to address them.
Types of therapy
Four of the more common types of psychotherapy used by therapists to treat people include the following:
- cognitive behavioral therapy
- interpersonal therapy
- family systems therapy
- group therapy
Regardless of the type of therapy, there are always different types of strategies your therapist can implement to maximize the effectiveness of your therapy treatment plan.
Common types of psychological therapy for anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions
Just as there are different types of treatment methods for physical ailments, there are diverse approaches that therapists can use for addressing mental disorders and emotional distress. These treatment methods are often called talk therapy or supportive therapy. These types of therapies can help individuals cope with mental illnesses like depression, panic disorder, and other mental health conditions.
Mental health professionals such as counselors and therapists can provide different types of care, deliver cognitive therapy, prescribe medications, or offer alternative interventions like animal-assisted therapy or psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Some types of therapy—for example, psychodynamic therapy—have been practiced for a long time and are still commonly used by therapists today. Other types, such as neurofeedback therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, have developed more recently.
Specific types of counseling, such as marriage therapy, family therapy, guidance, and mental health therapy, can provide more tailored support.
The types of therapy used vary by counselor
Different types of counselors or therapists focus on different areas. Some therapists may specialize in family therapy or working with children, while other therapists may specialize in working with adults or couples. Familiarity with different types of therapy for depression, eating disorders, PTSD, and other mental health conditions may help you decide which one might be the best therapy option for you.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, is a type of behavior therapy that typically focuses on changing negative thoughts or thought patterns and introducing new, healthier thought patterns. This type of therapy can also involve using these new thought patterns to develop self-awareness and change specific behaviors.
During a therapy session, the therapist might discuss the validity or realism of the patient's negative or unhelpful thoughts and then provide skills to reframe those thought patterns in the unconscious mind. While this intensive type of therapy can be done over a short period and may be challenging, it has been proven effective in treating different types of mental illnesses.
Psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a type of therapy that traces its roots to Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory. This therapeutic method delves into the unconscious mind to explore and understand how past experiences, particularly those from early childhood, influence an individual's current thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Through open-ended discussions and free association with a therapist, clients are encouraged to explore their thoughts and emotions, gaining insight into the unconscious processes that may be affecting their lives.
The therapeutic relationship in psychodynamic therapy is central, as it serves as a microcosm of the client's interpersonal experiences. Transference and countertransference, where the client unconsciously projects feelings onto the therapist and vice versa, are key concepts in psychodynamic therapy. The goal of psychodynamic therapy is not only symptom relief but also the development of insight and self-awareness, leading to long-term changes in the client's emotional and relational functioning.
Interpersonal therapy
The primary aim of interpersonal psychotherapy is to help individuals improve their relationships with others. Interpersonal psychotherapy focuses on the patient's ability to create and maintain healthy relationships with the people around them.
Situations in which interpersonal psychotherapy might be helpful include treating unresolved grief, distress following a divorce, or conflicts within families or in the workplace.
Family systems therapy
As the name suggests, family systems therapy (FST) is a type of psychological therapy that focuses on the family as a unit and aims to help individuals resolve any problems within that context. A foundational tenet of this therapeutic approach is that when something happens to one individual in the family, the whole family is affected.
The primary goal of this type of therapy is to help families develop healthier relationships. This type of approach can be used for families experiencing conflict, as well as families where individual members are living with eating disorders, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and more.
Group therapy
Group therapy is a psychological type of treatment for groups of individuals who are all experiencing the same kind of mental health condition. This therapeutic approach brings people together in a group setting moderated by a therapist who offers support to the participants and helps make sure the session runs smoothly.
There are many types of group therapy available.
Group therapy also allows the participants to listen to and learn from the other group members. Hearing about someone else's challenges can help the participants know that they are not alone in their feelings, and hearing how another person handled their particular situation may give the other participants ideas about how they might approach a similar problem in their own lives.
Other types of therapy
With so many different types of talk therapy and psychological treatments available, patients have different types of options when it comes to improving mental health. Some other types of psychological therapies include:
- Client-centered Therapy
- Humanistic Therapy
- Holistic Therapy
- Gestalt Therapy
- Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Finding a therapist or psychologist with a specific type of specialization may be beneficial as they will have experience working with patients using that method. However, if you are unsure of where to start, finding a generalized type of therapist with a broad range of skills may be appropriate.
Maximizing your therapy sessions
Regardless of the type of psychological therapy you engage with, there are always ways to get the most from your therapy sessions. While a psychological therapist can guide you, your participation level can affect how beneficial the therapy sessions are.
Below are a few techniques you might try to get the most from your talking therapy sessions:
Speak honestly
Talking about certain experiences or issues with a therapist can be challenging. However, when you are working with a therapist, it is usually best to be transparent when discussing your feelings or the events in your life. Being open and honest can help your therapist learn about who you are as an individual, give you guidance and feedback, and discuss which next steps might be the most beneficial to you.
Create goals for yourself
Deciding what you hope to gain from your therapy sessions with a therapist can be an important step in your journey toward better mental health. You don’t have to have everything figured out in advance, but having a general idea of areas that you would like therapists to work on in your therapy sessions and how you want to improve your mental health can be helpful.
At the beginning, your therapist may ask what you're hoping to gain from your therapy sessions or which areas you want to work on or need the most improvement. Goals that you set in collaboration with your therapist can help both you and your therapist track how you’re doing.
Be patient
Sometimes, people may go into different psychotherapy approaches hoping for a quick fix, but counseling with a counselor or therapist can take time and patience. As you embark on this journey, try to remember that the therapeutic process may be a long road, but if you stick with it, it can be very beneficial.
It can take time for your therapist to get to know you and to understand your situation and what brought you to counseling. It can take time for you to see any improvements in your mental health based on your therapy sessions with your therapist. Remaining patient, open-minded, and receptive as you go through this journey may make it a more positive experience.
Engage in online therapy
If you are interested in trying therapy with a therapist but feel overwhelmed trying to sort through the different types of therapy out there, online therapy may be a good fit. With online therapy through BetterHelp, you can match with a therapist based on your particular needs, and you can find a licensed professional therapist who has experience working with individuals with similar concerns or using your preferred approach—without having to leave your home.
Mental health treatment with online cognitive behavioral therapy
Continually growing evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of online counseling with a licensed therapist for a range of concerns. In fact, research has shown online therapy to be just as effective as in-person sessions for certain conditions: for example, a literature review found that internet-delivered CBT for anxiety or to treat depression used by some therapists resulted in reductions in symptoms “equivalent to or better than in-person CBT.”
Takeaway
There are many different approaches to psychotherapy one can benefit from. Supportive psychotherapy is a broad field with a number of different psychotherapy techniques. Certain approaches to treatment might work for some individuals, while other people might benefit from a different therapy method. Whatever type or form you use, you may try some of the tips above to optimize your sessions.
With online therapy, you can find a licensed therapist with experience helping individuals with similar concerns.
What are the most popular types of psychological therapy for treating common types of mental health conditions, like anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder?
Popular types of psychological therapy for treating mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder include the following:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
Is therapy typically effective for mental health treatment?
Yes. The American Psychological Association reports a success rate of approximately 75% among people who seek therapy. Keep in mind that in order to be effective, psychological treatment takes time. It’s not as if a therapist can perform emergency surgery to fix problematic behaviors in the same way a physician could fix a heart condition. It may take months or years to see progress.
What are the psychological therapy types?
Generally, psychological therapy types can be separated into broad categories such as psychodynamic therapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, humanistic therapy, and integrative or holistic therapy. Within these categories, there are many different types of psychodynamic therapies. Here are some examples:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Humanistic therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Interpersonal psychotherapy
- Applied behavior analysis
- Music therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Play therapy for children
Who typically needs cognitive-behavioral therapy?
Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the gold standard of psychotherapies because of its wide range of applications. This therapy focuses on identifying negative thought patterns and restructuring them to support healthier behaviors and a more positive sense of self. CBT can be used to treat various mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance use disorder (formerly substance abuse), and eating disorders, for example. It can also be used to help people deal with major life changes such as divorce, moving, or losing a job, for instance.
What does a psychologist or therapist do?
The specific role of a psychologist or therapist might vary depending on their approach and the client’s needs. Still, many therapists begin treatment with an assessment that consists of several open-ended questions to better understand the person’s thoughts and how they can best provide support. Therapists may then work with the client to develop a treatment plan that might consist of one or more evidence-based therapeutic methods to help them learn to work through their current challenges in healthy ways.
Which types of psychological therapy are best?
Many therapists and experts consider cognitive behavioral therapy to be the best all-around psychotherapy technique. Still, it’s not recommended for everyone and might not work for every mental health condition. The best psychotherapy method for you may depend on your unique circumstances and challenges.
What is the most common type of psychotherapy?
For therapists and mental health professionals, cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common type of psychotherapy used in the United States.
What therapy is best for anxiety?
The best therapy for anxiety, according to some therapists and mental health professionals, is considered to be cognitive behavioral therapy. Specifically, exposure therapy, a type of CBT, can help desensitize people to the source of their anxiety through repeated exposure.
What type of therapy is most in demand?
The type of therapy that’s most in-demand could fluctuate. Some in-demand forms of therapy include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Marriage and family therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
Moreover, online therapy is growing in popularity due to its convenience and flexibility.
What is the newest type of therapy?
Some therapists consider transcranial magnetic stimulation to be the newest type of therapy. Other emerging therapies include virtual reality therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and cognitive control training.
What is the most used psychological therapy of therapists?
There are multiple approaches to psychological therapy. A therapist's approach can depend on many things, including their expertise and what the client needs.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most researched form of psychotherapy, and some researchers argue that it is the gold standard. CBT focuses on becoming more self-aware by uncovering unhealthy thought patterns and how they may contribute to self-destructive beliefs and behaviors.
Other commonly used types of therapy include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy, which was originally designed to treat people with borderline personality disorder (BPD) who are chronically suicidal but has been adapted to treat multiple types of mental illness, especially those that co-occur with BPD
- Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), which is used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder
- Exposure therapy, a type of CBT used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), PTSD, and phobias
- Interpersonal therapy, which focuses on a person’s interpersonal relationships with family members and other loved ones to improve interpersonal skills and recognize negative patterns to learn to improve communication, resolve conflicts, and understand and interact with other people more positively
- Mentalization-based therapy, a type of treatment that may be beneficial for long-term recovery for people with BPD and focuses on sense of self and understanding of inner feelings
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy, which is often used to treat anxiety and depression, BPD, and other mental health problems and encourages people to discuss whatever is on their minds to improve mental well-being
How many therapies are there in psychology?
There are at least 50 types of therapy in clinical psychology, but they generally fall into the following five categories:
- Psychoanalytic therapy: This category focuses on changing problematic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by examining unconscious meanings and motivations.
- Behavioral therapy: Behavioral therapy focuses on learned normal and abnormal behaviors.
- Cognitive therapy: This approach focuses on identifying and correcting the dysfunctional thinking that leads to problematic behaviors and emotions and changing these thoughts to improve psychological symptoms.
- Humanistic therapy: Humanistic therapy focuses on emphasizing people’s ability to make rational choices and reach their maximum potential.
Is psychological therapy effective?
Yes, psychological therapy is an effective treatment. Research shows that about 75% of people who participate in psychotherapy benefit from it and that most people experience symptom relief and are able to function more effectively in their lives. It has been shown to improve emotional and psychological health, and a few studies have even found that psychotherapy may even cause physical changes in thsimilar to thosethat are caused by some medications.
How long can you do psychological therapy?
There is no one-size-fits-all for how long someone can do therapy. While there are some types of short-term therapy, like CPT, Gestalt therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, short-term treatment may not always be the right fit. Some people with complex psychological disorders or who are working through traumatic experiences may benefit from longer types of therapy.
How do I know if I need therapy?
Therapy can be beneficial for people who are experiencing emotional suffering, behavioral problems, or trying to work through childhood experiences, but you do not have to have a serious mental health condition to benefit from therapy. If you are experiencing something that is causing persistent emotional distress or impacting your daily life, talking to a therapist, psychologist, or clinical social worker can help you overcome these difficult emotions and learn coping skills in a safe environment.
- Previous Article
- Next Article