One of the key objectives of psychotherapy is to help you gain a better understanding of the issues that are troubling you.
It can help you work out new ways of approaching situations that you find difficult, as well as suggesting new methods to help you cope.
Developing a trusting relationship with your psychotherapist is very important. It will help you to talk about long-standing problems. Developing a trusting relationship can take time. Depending on the disorder and the style of psychotherapy, some courses of treatment may need to last for several months or, in some cases, years.
Types of psychotherapy
There are many different types of psychotherapy. The specific type used will vary depending on your personal needs and which method your psychotherapist thinks will be most helpful for resolving your issues.
The different types of psychotherapy are discussed in more detail below.
Psychodynamic (psychoanalytic) psychotherapy
Psychoanalysis is based on the modern developments of the theories of Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that bad thoughts and experiences from childhood are repressed but continue to influence your feelings as an adult.
In psychoanalysis you will spend a long time talking about your personal relationships and the thoughts you have about other people. You will be encouraged to discuss what has happened to you in the past as well as the present. This allows the analyst to find links between past events and how you think and act now.
Psychodynamic therapy is a less intensive form of psychoanalysis. It relies more on the way the relationship develops between yourself and the therapist than other types of therapy do. Your therapist may encourage you to talk about your childhood experiences with your parents and other people, to help you reveal unconscious thoughts.
Art, music and movement therapies often use the psychodynamic model of working but encourage alternative forms of self expression and communication as well as talking. Even young children can take part and this is known as ‘play therapy’. No musical or technical skills are needed for this kind of therapy to be successful.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Behavioural psychotherapy and cognitive therapy are separate techniques that are combined in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In CBT you and the therapist will agree on tasks for you to do between sessions. This will help you to deal with problems yourself so that you no longer need therapy.
Cognitive therapy focuses on ways in which your thoughts and beliefs may be causing emotional problems. Your therapist will discuss these issues with you so that you can try to develop more helpful ways of thinking and are able to overcome the problems.
Behavioural psychotherapy may be used to help you gain a healthy structured life. It is also often used for overcoming a specific fear or phobia by helping you to change the way you act. Your therapist may encourage you gradually to face these fears and help you to relax and feel comfortable as you do it.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is usually aimed at a specific problem and the sessions are often brief. There are normally six to twenty sessions.
Cognitive analytical therapy (CAT)
During early sessions of cognitive analytical therapy (CAT), the therapist will discuss your life story, mapping out potential problems that occurred with diagrams. You may exchange letters with the therapist several times, to help you both understand what is causing the problem.
A therapist who uses CAT will use diaries and progess charts. These will help you to develop skills that you can then use to continue improving once the therapy sessions are over.
Like CBT, CAT is often brief and may last about 16 sessions.
Humanistic therapies
Humanistic therapies aim to find out how you think about yourself and to recognise your strengths. The way you think about yourself can be improved by personal growth, self-direction and by taking on responsibilities. There are several types of humanistic therapies, which are listed below.
- Person-centred counselling aims to create a comfortable environment where you can express yourself to try to find out what makes you happy and how your life experiences might have stopped you achieving this.
- Gestalt therapy promotes self awareness to help you get over past experiences that are causing problems in the present. It may also use experiments created by you and the therapist.
- Transactional analysis aims to help you analyse the decisions you make in life by recognising three ‘ego-states’ that people use to relate to each other. These are known as the inner parent, inner child and inner adult.
- Transpersonal psychology involves discussing spirituality and self development to try to encourage someone to find their true self and happiness.
- Existential therapy uses the work of philosophers, rather than focusing on the past, to help you discuss responsibility, broadening the mind and increasing self-awareness.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Interpersonal pyschotherapy (IPT) has been shown to be particularly effective in the treatment of depression. The therapist is particularly interested in how relationships with other people can be managed as healthily as possible to help with recovery and staying healthy.
The therapist will help you to create an individual approach to dealing with any recent interpersonal difficulties. This therapy lasts for about 12 to 16 sessions. The last four sessions are used to consider how to manage any future relapses.
Family and marital (systemic) therapy
Family therapy focuses on family relationships, such as marriage, and encourages everyone within the family or relationship to work together to fix problems rather than encouraging blame. There is often more than one therapist involved to make sure everyone in the group has their say.
A therapist who uses family and marital therapy will encourage group discussions or exercises with everyone involved and will promote a healthy family unit as an effective way of improving mental health.
