Types of Therapy

Therapy, do you need it?

Most people are quite familiar with the concept of therapy. Although there are many different definitions within the medical industry, the therapy that’s in reference here is psychotherapy, which can be painted out with a stereotypical scene. Someone lying down on a dull blue couch while telling someone with a clipboard and glasses their life story. There’s probably a tissue box laying around somewhere too with some used tissues flying about, all crumpled up. This is how psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is normally portrayed in books, movies, and in the general media. However, no one ever tells someone how difficult it is to find a therapist, the different types and approaches to talk therapy, what going to therapy will actually help with, and more.

What Does Therapy Help With?

Although not entirely inaccurate, a fair number of misconceptions about therapy are portrayed on television. There’s long-term and short-term therapy. First, short-term therapy can be about a temporary or immediate problem and people will talk about how they’re feeling with therapists for a short period of time. Long-term therapy is more complex and deals with topics such as past trauma, mental health issues, and longstanding issues. Some benefits of therapy can include:

• improve communication skills

• increase self-awareness

• develop healthy coping mechanisms

• addressing repressed trauma and emotions

• confronting difficult emotions to become a better you

• giving you a new perspective to life

Therapy helps people adapt habits that will lead to a emotionally healthier and happier life. People work together with therapists, who are completely nonjudgemental. Through talking, dialogue, and understanding, people and professionals are able to identify behaviors and thought processes that lead to self-deprecacy. They then establish new ways to cope and introduce new ways of thinking.

What are the different types of therapy?

There are several different types of therapy to consider and look into to suit what matches your needs best. Although there are very many specific and niche types of therapy, here are a few:

• Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavior therapy is the most common type of therapy that’s typically encountered, and it’s thought of to work well for most people with mental illnesses. Therefore, CBT is seen as sort of a baseline that therapists learn about when starting off. It’s based off of principles such as the mindset that mental problems are due to unhelpful ways of thinking and learned behaviors, and that people can adapt coping mechanisms to help. CBT also places a large focus on current rather than past events and working towards a better self. However, if not done with complete care and with the right therapist, this type of therapy can often be seen as gaslighting when dealing with people who have major past trauma. Toxic positivity and emotional manipulation are often things that arise due to a history of manipulation, so it may be best to avoid this type of therapy. If you do try it out and it doesn’t work, let your therapist know that and they will work through it with you. It’s a collaborative effort, and they’re meant to help!

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy is about psychological flexibility, and accepting our own thoughts and feelings. ACT is especially helpful for anxiety disorders, substance abuse, depressive disorders, psychosis, eating disorders, and more. The philosophy of ACT is that emotional turmoils are not symptoms or problems, and that they’re simply a part of life. Contrary to CBT, it does not attempt to change or fix anything, instead directing people towards treating unwanted thoughts and feelings with more compassion and understanding. ACT embraces the whole vitality and fullness of life, including the unpleasant parts of it. It leans towards acceptance and mindfulness. ACT is especially helpful for disabled or neurodivergent people who are adjusting to new changes and environments.

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy is a type of cognitive behavior therapy, but is a little more complex. It incorporates the philosophical idea of dialectics, the concept that everything is composed of opposites and changes occur when the opposites converse. DBT was actually originally meant to help people working through borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, it’s been adapted to help with other mental health issues, including personality disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-harm thoughts. A few skill sets that are taught through DBT include distress tolerance, general mindfulness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Therapists who are practicing DBT will typically have their patient apply their knowledge and what they’ve learned in wide ranges of situations. For example, a therapist may ask for their client to speak with a friend over a conflict, and consistently remind them of the emotional regulation skills learned and applied. There are also several different settings for this type of therapy, including individual therapy, group therapy, and phone therapy. Individual therapy is the typical one-on-one session, and group therapy is similar, except with shared experiences and interaction with other people. Phone therapy is where the client will call the therapist at any given time when seeking assistance to deal with specific situations. DBT can be helpful but it does not work for everyone, and it’s important to consider this when working with your therapist.

• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)

Interpersonal therapy is helpful for people who are dealing with stress and life changes, as well as other disorders. These include anxiety, eating disorders, dysthymia, substance abuse, mood disorders, postpartum depression, social phobias, and PTSD. IPT is carefully structured and planned out, is fully adaptive, and can be individual or in a group setting. The aim is to address any underlying traumatic experiences and to embrace change. Thus, patients of IPT have to have a level of self-awareness and understanding to work on themselves and their stressors. IPT also helps people understand why certain behaviors they’ve adopted continue to be apparent. It’s especially helpful for victims of emotional abuse and manipulation, neurodivergent people, and people whose parents passed down undiagnosed psychiatric disorders and never got any of the help they needed. IPT addresses generational trauma and helps break the cycle of emotional abuse and untreated mental illnesses.

• Combining Types of Therapy

Although these are distinctive types of therapy, therapists will often mix and match them to create a therapy method best suited towards their patients. It’s not always completely straightforward and certain aspects of different types of therapy combined may end up being much more helpful then just one type.

Even more so, if your therapist is trying a type of therapy but it isn’t working for you, tell them! They’re there to help and assist you, and if something isn’t working then it won’t work. Trying new types or mixes of therapy could prove to be more helpful overall.

Additionally, it’s important to note that therapy isn’t meant to make your life completely perfect and dandy. It’s a stepping stone and a part of healing, but most of it still comes from you. Therapy can only do so much, but you are making the active choice to heal and I’m proud of you for it.

Is it difficult to find a therapist?

It’s can be incredibly difficult to find a therapist that suits your needs. Not to mention cost and many other factors that go into finding one, it can overall lead to more stress. That’s why MHAM has established the resource committee! Their focus is to disseminate resources throughout communities and they’re working on the therapy access project, in which they’ll find a therapist for you. You would simply fill out a Google Form listing your needs and answering a few questions that will help us find the best person for you.

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https://www.verywellmind.com/dialectical-behavior-therapy-1067402.

Staff, P. T. (n.d.). Interpersonal psychotherapy. Psychology Today.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/interpersonal-psychotherapy.

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