types of therapy

Therapy, also called psychotherapy, talk therapy or usually just "therapy," is a form of treatment aimed at relieving emotional distress and mental health problems.  Provided by any of a variety of trained professionals—psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, or licensed counselors—it involves examining and gaining insight into life choices and difficulties faced by individuals, couples, or families. Therapy sessions refer to structured meetings between a licensed provider and a client with a goal of improving some aspect of their life. 

Psychotherapy encompasses many types of treatment and is practiced by a range of clinicians using a variety of strategies.  The critical aspect is that the client or patient works collaboratively with the therapist and can identify improvement and positive change over time.

Most therapies in wide use have been well-tested and deemed effective.  Though it may at first feel difficult to seek out therapy—especially for those of low-income or without comprehensive insurance—the benefits of successful therapy are literally life-changing.

The term counselor is used to broadly refer to a professional trained in the fields of psychology, counseling, social work, or a range of medical fields such as nursing.  Mental health counselors, specifically, are those professionals working in a mental health capacity.  Their duties include conducting patient evaluations, providing education and informational resources to their clients, and making suggestions that the client or patient can use to solve the problem they are seeking counseling to address.

A therapist is an individual that has been professionally trained to provide some form of therapy to a patient or client that addresses either mental or physical disorder.  Examples of therapy used in the context of physical medicine can include physical therapists and occupational therapists.  In the context of mental health, the terms mental health therapist and psychotherapist are common.

A psychologist is similar to mental health counselors and therapists in that they also work to improve their patients’ mental and emotional health.  The techniques and frameworks that they use tend to differ, however.  Additionally, psychologists are more likely than counselors to treat patients with severe mental disorders.  With this in mind, becoming a counseling psychologist will typically require a higher level of education, such as earning a PhD in Counseling Psychology.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe medication to treat mental health disorders.  Their education and clinical training equip them to understand the complex relationship between emotional and other medical illnesses and the relationships with genetics and family history, to evaluate medical and psychological data, to make a diagnosis, and to work with patients to develop treatment plans.

• Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies.  This approach focuses on changing problematic behaviors, feelings, and thoughts by discovering their unconscious meanings and motivations.  Psychoanalytically oriented therapies are characterized by a close working partnership between therapist and patient.  Patients learn about themselves by exploring their interactions in the therapeutic relationship.  While psychoanalysis is closely identified with Sigmund Freud, it has been extended and modified since his early formulations.
• Behavior therapy.  This approach focuses on learning's role in developing both normal and abnormal behaviors.
  
  • Classical conditioning, or associative learning.  Example, if a dog begins drooling when they hear their dinner bell, it's because they associated the sound with food.
  • "Desensitizing" is classical conditioning in action: A therapist might help a client with a phobia through repeated exposure to whatever it is that causes anxiety.
  • Operant conditioning. This type of learning relies on rewards and punishments to shape people's behavior.
  • Several variations have developed since behavior therapy's emergence in the 1950s. One variation is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on both thoughts and behaviors.
• Cognitive therapy.  Cognitive therapy emphasizes what people think rather than what they do.
  
  • Cognitive therapists believe that it's dysfunctional thinking that leads to dysfunctional emotions or behaviors.  By changing their thoughts, people can change how they feel and what they do.
  • Major figures in cognitive therapy include Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck.
• Humanistic therapy. This approach emphasizes people's capacity to make rational choices and develop to their maximum potential. Concern and respect for others are also important themes.
  
  • Three types of humanistic therapy are especially influential.  Client-centered therapy rejects the idea of therapists as authorities on their clients' inner experiences.  Instead, therapists help clients change by emphasizing their concern, care and interest.
  • Gestalt therapy emphasizes what it calls "organismic holism," the importance of being aware of the here and now and accepting responsibility for yourself.
  • Existential therapy focuses on free will, self-determination and the search for meaning.
• Integrative or holistic therapy. Many therapists don't tie themselves to any one approach. Instead, they blend elements from different approaches and tailor their treatment according to each client's needs.