Understanding the different types of therapy
In the context of mental health, ‘therapy’ usually refers to talk therapies, also known as psychotherapy.
There are many schools of psychotherapy. Therapists either specialize in one or integrate multiple approaches. At their core, each type of therapy fundamentally differs on human nature - about why we suffer and how we can hope to find peace of mind. They therefore differ in the years of training required and the techniques used in treatment. While each type has varying evidence of success, ultimately the best type of therapy depends on what you feel drawn to and need.
The most common approaches to psychotherapy are:
Psychoanalytic
- Focuses on the unconscious and deep-rooted issues that impact the client
- Therapists undergo extensive therapy and training, use the therapist-client relationship as a means to understanding, and offer interpretations and insights to clients
- Eg. Psychodynamic, Psychoanalytic, Jungian therapies
Cognitive & Behavioural
- Looks to identify and change distorted thoughts and habitual behaviours
- More structured and solution oriented, helpful to overcome specific problems
- Eg. CBT, REBT, Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Humanistic
- Focuses on the client’s identity and helps them recognize their strengths, their disabling assumptions and attitudes, and who they want to be
- Enables clients to make authentic, self-directed choices to live a fuller life
- Eg. Gestalt, Existential, Transactional Analysis, Client-centered therapies
Other types of psychotherapy that don’t fall into these categories include systems-based therapy, narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy, integrative therapy, etc.
Alternatives to psychotherapy
Aside from psychotherapy, there are many alternative and specialized techniques that a therapist may use, especially for issues like trauma and addiction. Instead of relying on talk, these may involve sensory, experiential, expressive, body-oriented, spiritual or visual components to explore deep-seated thoughts and feelings. Eg. EMDR, Somatic experiencing, Arts therapies, Hypnotherapy, Neuro-linguistic programming.