what to look for and what are the various major types of psychotherapy options
Good for you asking this question! If you are considering therapy (and I encourage you to do so), you need to go into it with some knowledge of what to expect both from yourself and your therapist. In my next article I will review ways to go about selecting a coach.
When selecting a therapist you should ask the therapist and yourself a lot of questions. That said, don’t ask questions so long you never move forward! There is a point of diminishing returns. To help you gather the right data quickly and efficiently, here are a few things I recommend thinking about:
Learn about the therapist
1When selecting a therapist it’s very reasonable for you to ask the therapist what particular forms of therapy they have been trained in, where they learned their skills and if they have personally benefited from the therapy they propose for you. How long has the therapist been practicing? Therapy is a collaborative process-a mutual exploration of your self. Most therapists will offer a session to get to know your issues and to access a good fit for free of charge. Some might charge for this session.
Comfort with the therapist
Do you feel comfortable and safe with this therapist? Are you more comfortable with a male or female therapist? Is there chemistry between the two of you? Does he or she seem to feel comfortable in his or her own skin and with you as a fellow human being? Does the type of therapy the therapist is offering seem to resonate with you and your issues? Is bringing another person (a spouse, friend, girlfriend or boyfriend) into therapy an option if needed? Do you feel that your therapist is curious to find out who you are and what you need? The therapist must take time to find out why you do what you do and why you think what you think.
Therapist fees and ways to find a good therapist
What are the therapist fees; is this affordable? If you have health insurance is the therapist covered under your plan? Many health plans offer outpatient mental health services, with a maximum $ coverage and a co-pay for each session. If you are unsure if you are covered check with your insurance company.
Many people when seeking a therapist might reach out to friends or family members to get recommendations on a therapist. Another referral option is to ask a friend or family member if they could ask various therapists they know if they could make a recommendation, based upon the issue(s) a person might need help with. Another good source is the online version of Psychology Today, which has a comprehensive list of therapists. If you have health insurance and it’s critical you find a therapist covered under your plan, seek a list of therapists provided under your plan(if covered) and check reviews for them online and check with family and friends to see if they know of any of the therapists covered. Do not be deterred if you try several therapists and they are booked and or not taking new clients. Just keep pressing on and eventually you’ll find a therapist
that is taking new clients and you believe to be a good match.
2Different types of psychotherapy
Psychologists generally draw on one or more theories of psychotherapy. A theory of psychotherapy acts as a roadmap for psychologists: It guides them through the process of understanding clients and their problems and developing solutions. Approaches to psychotherapy fall into 9 broad categories, however Psychology
Today lists over 60 types of therapy approaches. Most if not all of the therapies listed below incorporate talk therapy.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on self-awareness of the patient’s actions and behaviors. Psychodynamic therapy is like CBT in that it works to understand how beliefs, thoughts, behavior, and emotions are interconnected. However, it focuses on the unconscious beliefs and emotions that tend to trigger the negative thoughts, emotions, and behavior, rather than conscious, automatic thoughts that occur in initial reaction to situations.
Psychoanalytic Therapy
A therapy that focuses on identifying unconscious thoughts and analyzing how they may affect an individual’s life. Psychodynamic Therapy includes psychoanalytic therapy.
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy emphasizes what people think rather than what they do. Cognitive therapists believe that it’s dysfunctional thinking that leads to dysfunctional emotions or behaviors. By changing their thoughts, people can change how they feel and what they do. Major figures in cognitive therapy include Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck.
Behavioral Therapy
Behavioral therapy adopts the philosophy that if a patient changes his problematic behavior, he will see a positive change in thoughts, feelings, and interactions with others. Behavioral therapy uses different theories of behavior, reinforcement, and motivation to pinpoint and improve problematic patterns of behavior. It’s common for behavioral therapy to be incorporated into sessions when working with interpersonal, relationship, and emotional issues.
- Ivan Pavlov made important contributions to behavior therapy by discovering classical conditioning, or associative learning. Pavlov’s famous dogs, for example, began drooling when they heard their dinner bell, because they associated the sound with food.
- “Desensitizing” is classical conditioning in action: A therapist might help a client with a phobia through repeated exposure to whatever it is that causes anxiety.
- Another important thinker was E.L. Thorndike, who discovered operant conditioning. This type of learning relies on rewards and punishments to shape people’s behavior.
- Several variations have developed since behavior therapy’s emergence in the 1950s. One variation is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on both thoughts and behaviors.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combines both cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy and focuses on how a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected. By identifying the pattern between these three key components, the patient develops an understanding of how his thoughts, emotions, and behavior all influence each other. The patient can pinpoint the destructive thoughts that create negative emotions, which fuel problematic behavior. The patient then learns how to restructure the way he thinks to develop healthier thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.
Humanistic Therapy
This approach emphasizes people’s capacity to make rational choices and develop to their maximum potential. Concern and respect for others are also important themes.
- Humanistic philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Buber and Søren Kierkegaard influenced this type of therapy.
- Three types of humanistic therapy are especially influential. Client-centered therapy rejects the idea of therapists as authorities on their clients’ inner experiences. Instead, therapist’s help clients change by emphasizing their concern, care and interest.
- Gestalt therapy emphasizes what it calls “organismic holism,” the importance of being aware of the here and now and accepting responsibility for yourself.
- Existential therapy focuses on free will, self-determination and the search for meaning.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy is a form of therapy that helps an individual understand the dynamics of communication and interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal therapy targets communication and interpersonal behavior to help the patient understand how he contributes to the struggles and emotional issues he faces.
The premise of interpersonal therapy is if you can improve interpersonal behavior and communication, you will receive more support and acceptance from others and from yourself, which will help improve overall mood and reduce emotional issues.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Mindfulness has become an important concept in human psychology. As you become more attuned to what is happening in the here and now, you can stay better grounded and react more appropriately to any situation. Dialectical Behavior is a relatively new and quite popular form of therapy. It combines this concept of mindfulness with many of the elements of cognitive behavior therapy. In DBT, you learn how to develop stronger relationships, manage out-of-control emotions, and decrease any tendency you might have towards self-destructive behaviors like self-harm.
Eclectic Therapy
Eclectic therapy isn’t a specific type of therapy. The phrase describes the way many counselors work. They may begin therapy in one style and shift to another at a certain point. Each session may contain elements of a variety of therapy styles. The therapist picks and chooses from the full gamut of therapy methods, as you need them in certain situations. The therapist might address habits or behaviors you are exhibiting. Using different therapies together to create the counselor’s own eclectic mix takes enormous skill, usually gained by years of experience. You might also hear this type of therapy referred to as holistic therapy or integrative therapy.
Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychology
Hakomi combines venerable operating principals with mindfulness and precise methodology that create an extraordinary effective path towards transformation. The basis for the work is three fold
- To create a bonded relationship that allows enough safety for the client to turn inward and explore present experiences (cognitive, somatic, emotional, energetic, spiritual, etc.
- To follow those experiences towards the core material that generates them.
- To pursue ways to heal and evolve the core material.
Personally I have found Eclectic Therapy, which allows a therapist to pick and choose the type of therapeutic approach based upon the client’s specific need in that particular session, best. And while many therapists may identify with a specific type of therapy, many will use a version of Eclectic Therapy.
1Many of the concepts here come from Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book, “The Body Keeps the Score”.
2Certain concepts are from betterhelp.com.