Types of Therapies
Commencing therapy might seem daunting at first, mostly because it's hard to pin down how exactly to choose what kind of therapy you need. Here, we will introduce you to the major approaches to therapy so that your journey can become easier.
Please note: therapy DOES NOT include just talking about your problems. Each approach focuses on a different aspect of your mental health and addresses the problem accordingly. Also, none of the following approaches can help you in just a day. These require consistency to show their benefits.
1. Psychodynamic Therapy
It is a long term therapy that helps in identifying and uncovering emotional and behavioral patterns in oneself. It is derived from psychoanalysis. The therapist helps and guides the client to introspect, self examine and evaluate aspects of their lives such as childhood experiences, interactions with others, thought patterns etc. This helps in exploring oneself and gaining a better understanding of how we behave.
Psychodynamic therapy can help in addressing anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance use disorders, somatic symptom disorders and lots more.
2. Behavioral Therapy
This form of therapy is more action oriented. It aims at behavioral change to facilitate healthy living. Behavioral therapists believe that we learn some behaviors growing up that might be harmful to us and may unknowingly cause anxiety or conflicts in our mind. The therapist helps the client in unlearning these conditioned responses and adopt healthier ones.
Some subtypes of this therapy are- Systematic desensitization (to help overcome fears and phobias), aversion therapy (giving up bad habits by being subjected negative associations as a consequence of those habits), Flooding (to help overcome fears and phobias more instantly than gradually).
behavioral therapy can help in addressing anxiety, OCD, ADHD, substance abuse disorders, defiant behaviors etc.
3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
As the name suggests, this approach tries to identify negative cognitions and behavioral patterns of the client and tries to overcome them. This is a short term approach and is helpful in changing problematic thoughts into positive ones and adopting healthy behaviors.
CBT can help in addressing mood disorders like anxiety and depression, OCD, eating disorders, insomnia, substance abuse disorders etc.
4. Humanistic Therapy
This approach aims to understand how a client’s worldview affects their mental health and life in general. A humanistic therapist helps the client in understanding their true self and helps them sort out their priorities in life through profound introspection. It helps in self acceptance and understanding. The therapist does not interpret your feelings for you because it is believed that you know yourself the best. The therapist only acts as a catalyst for you to dig deeper into what causes distress to you and how you can overcome it. Some subtypes of this therapy are Existential Therapy, Gestalt Therapy and Person- Centered Therapy.
Humanistic therapy is helpful in addressing depression, PTSD, feelings of worthlessness, self esteem issues etc.
Please note that these are the broad categories of therapies, i.e major approaches to therapy. There are many subtypes such as Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Dance Therapy etc. It is important to backpack accross all suitable options before finalising which works the best for you. Also, always remember to ask your therapist about their qualification and speciality to get a better understanding of their suitability to your needs.