Psychotherapy is a type of treatment that can help individuals experiencing a wide array of mental health
conditions and emotional challenges. Psychotherapy can help not only alleviate symptoms, but also, certain types
of psychotherapies can help identify the psychological root causes of one's condition so a person can function
better and have enhanced emotional well-being and healing.
Conditions that can be helped by psychotherapy include coping with stressful life events, the impact of trauma,
medical illness or loss such as the death of a loved one; and specific mental health conditions such as
depression or anxiety.
There are several different types of psychotherapy and some types may work better with certain clinical
situations. Psychotherapy may be used in combination with medication or other therapies.
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 five broad categories:
Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies: This approach focuses on changing
problematic behaviors,
feelings,and thoughts by discovering their unconscious meanings and motivations. Psychoanalytically
oriented therapies are characterized by a close working partnership between therapist and patient.
Patients learn about themselves by exploring their interactions in the therapeutic relationship. While
psychoanalysis is closely identified with Sigmund Freud, it has been extended and modified since his
early formulations.
Behavior therapy: This approach focuses on learning's role in developing both
normal and abnormal behaviors.
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 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.
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, therapists 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.
Integrative or holistic therapy:
Many therapists don't tie themselves to any one approach. Instead,they blend elements from different
approaches and tailor their treatment according to each client's needs.
