Psychotherapy
What is Psychotherapy?
Psychologists and mental health professionals use different approaches aimed at helping people overcome stress, emotional problems,
relationship problems or troublesome habits. These approaches are based on different ways of understanding human behavior and emotions. The common thread is that treatments are based on talking. This
"talk therapy" includes (at least) two people, commonly referred to as the therapist and the client.
The different approaches
The Psychodynamic
approach focuses on the emotions and feelings a person has about the significant people and experiences in his/her life. Clients discuss relevant past experiences and through the therapist's
interventions gain insight into how these experiences may have led to the present situation and how they may be affecting their life now. The understanding gained may enable the person to make new
choices about the future. The length of this kind of treatment is variable depending on each client and the kind of issues that need to be addressed.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
focuses more on the present and future of the client. It works through understanding the "thinking-acting" (cognitive-behavior) pattern a person is using. Modifying one's thinking patterns
(understanding how the person thinks) is thought to enable the person to change his/her behavior patterns as well. This kind of therapy has proved to be particularly successful in the treatment of
certain types of depression, generalized anxiety and life-transition issues.
The Behavioral Therapy approach focuses on modifying patterns of behavior through training clients into
new behaviors when confronted with unwanted situations. Patients can be helped to overcome fears by spending more and more time in the situation they fear, or by learning specific ways of reducing
their anxiety. Behavioral psychotherapy seems to be particularly effective for anxiety, panic, phobias, obsessive-compulsive problems and various kinds of social or sexual difficulty.
The Humanistic Approach takes a more holistic, existential view of the person and focuses on understanding what it means to be human. Central to this approach is the belief that human beings
are motivated by the need to develop their potential as much as possible. Through understanding the client's perception of the world, the therapist is able to work toward giving new meaning to the
client's problems. The person-centered or client-centered approach to therapy is suitable to work with a wide range of problems and difficulties. Length of treatment varies according to the client's
needs.
Family or Couples Therapy focuses on the relationships between members of a family or couple. In some cases what are perceived as individual problems may be related to
relationship problems in a marriage, partnership, or family. By focusing very particularly on the relationships involved, and by involving all the people concerned, family and marital therapists seek
to help those relationships work better for everyone involved.
How do I know which approach is good for me?
These very different sorts of treatments are each designed to allow
the therapist to guide clients to a better understanding of themselves and their lives, and to identify ways to change their thoughts, behaviors or relationships. Your psychotherapist may use a
combination of techniques to suit your individual needs after making a thorough assessment of your situation.