Types of Therapy

There are many kinds of talk therapy that often help one to better be able to function. These therapy disciplines are tailored to a person’s specific needs and reasons for entering therapy.

Some therapists may choose to mix aspects of kinds of psychotherapy.

Consider these types of talk therapy:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to help a person change thoughts and behaviors that are not working. CBT helps someone to live in the world by developing more effective and helpful thoughts and behaviors.
• Interpersonal therapy helps people see relationships issues that may affect how one interacts with others. These may include grief, changes in work roles, and conflict at home. Treatment of depression is often one goal of interpersonal therapy.
• Dialectical behavior therapy is a type of CBT. It focuses on regulating emotions. People with eating disorders, PTSD, or borderline personality disorder may all benefit from this kind of treatment. 
• Psychodynamic therapy focuses on childhood experiences and unconscious thoughts that may affect a person today. Through psychodynamic therapy, you can become more self-aware and change harmful patterns of thought and behavior. Psychoanalysis can be considered a more intensive form of psychodynamic therapy.
• Supportive therapy helps you to develop mechanisms to support your own mental health, which in turn may improve the rest of your life. With guidance, people often experience improved self-esteem, better coping skills, and reduced anxiety

Is talk therapy good for you?

Talk therapy can  can help you develop skills and strategies to improve your well-being.

There are many good reasons for therapy and ways it may help you, such as:

• having a better understanding of your mental health
• developing wellness goals
• identifying triggers that lead to symptoms or unhealthy behaviors
• improving interpersonal relationships
• coping with stress
• creating a personal plan for a mental health crisis
• making sense of past trauma
• overcoming fears
• creating routine and stability

Talk therapy works a bit differently for everyone. Most people who participate in psychotherapy experience some benefit from the process, both in the short and long term.

Long-term benefits of seeing a therapist

Yes, talk therapy can help you in the short term. It can also have a lasting effect. If you commit to therapy for a few months and open up to your therapist you may find these sessions can benefit you for the rest of your life.

Coping mechanisms

Psychotherapy often helps you develop your ability to solve problems. It offers practical and supportive ways to manage stress and other difficult parts of your everyday life. These coping skills can be helpful throughout your life, even when you are no longer attending therapy.

Support systems

Talk therapy can help someone with thoughts of self-harm to create a safety plan.

While instances of self-harm or suicidal ideation may be treated as potential emergencies, therapy could help you develop a plan of action that involves support from family and friends in a crisis. These strategies can stay with you even if you stop seeing a therapist.

Reducing symptoms

Research gives evidence that talk therapy improves mental health over the long term.

A 2016 study of people with mood or anxiety conditions found that at a 10-year follow-up, attending therapy longer may result in better outcomes. In the study, people who went to long-term psychotherapy had greater symptom improvement and improved workability than those who attended short-term therapy. However, the study found that both short-term and long-term therapy offered lasting results.

New insights

Talk therapy may help you address how specific thought patterns may cause you harm, such as when one holds a low opinion of themselves. Therapy can help someone identify such thoughts as inaccurate and develop behaviors based on a more positive, realistic life outlook.

Improvements in your health

According to the American Psychological Association, 75% of people who participate in talk therapy get some benefit.

When therapy ends, individuals who received therapy found that their mental health symptoms improved by 80% more than those who did not receive therapy. For success, it is also helpful to have a support system outside of therapy where you can practice and talk about your experiences and learnings.  For example: if you took a Spanish class once a week to learn to speak Spanish and you only practiced it once a week in class, you would not learn to speak the language. What if you practiced what you learned in class all week with others?