Types of Mental Health Therapy
CBT, ACT, EMDR, oh my! You’ve probably heard these acronyms thrown around when people discuss what type of therapy they’re doing or when looking at therapists’ advertised specialties online. But what do these acronyms even mean? And more importantly, what’s the difference between them and which one is right for you? In this article, we’ll discuss some of the major types of mental health therapies, what they are, and what issues and clients they’re best used for.
Before we get into discussing specific types of therapy (called modalities), it’s important to note that a good therapist customizes their treatment plan to each client, using multiple modalities when they are appropriate and incorporating many different strategies. All these modalities have limitations and a solely CBT or solely psychodynamic therapeutic approach, for example, will fail to deal with all the complexities in a case. So, just because a therapist specializes in one modality does not mean they cannot or do not use others, too.
Modalities are typically organized into two types: insight-oriented and behavior-oriented. Insight therapies are typically focused on the indefinable aspects of the human experience and help clients make meaning out of their lives and past experiences. Behavioral therapies are evidence-based strategies that help reduce negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. An insight-only approach might fail to address harmful behaviors; on the other hand, a behavioral-only approach may ignore the underlying issues causing the harmful behavior. Because of this, a good therapist will incorporate modalities from both major groups.
Insight-oriented therapies include:
Humanistic or Person-centered Therapy starts from the assumption that all people are intrinsically good and focuses on exploring feelings with the goal of helping the client to be more free, human, and self-actualized.
Existential Therapy helps clients use their anxiety therapeutically to take control of their lives, write their own stories, and make meaning out of their experiences.
Psychodynamic Therapy aims to understand the persons’ unconscious desires and how their past has shaped their current situation.
Gestalt Therapy helps people get “unstuck” by addressing unfinished business from the past and helping clients understand their experience holistically instead of only focusing on select, negative experiences.
Narrative Therapy helps people re-frame the stories they have about their lives and take control as the author of their experience.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to help people be more resilient, flexible, present in the moment, and empowered to make choices that align with their values.
Behavior-oriented therapies include:
Cognitive Behavioral-Therapy (CBT) is well-backed by research and aims to correct negative thought patterns, called cognitive distortions, that impact the way we think, feel, and behave.
Solutions-Focused Therapy uses the client’s past successes to inform how they can solve the presenting problem at hand. This therapy is brief (usually 10 sessions or less), which makes it ideal for those who have limited insurance coverage.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was created to treat personality disorders and aims to help people accept the realities of their life and actions as well as learn to gain better emotional tolerance and control.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) uses rapid eye movements to encourage the brain to process trauma and help the client overcome the negative impacts of traumatic experiences.
In recent years, a number of expressive therapies have become popular, such as play therapy, art and dance therapy, and even hypnotherapy. These therapies often work well for children, but they can also help adults by allowing one to bypass the difficulties of language and go straight to emotional expression.
As you can see, there are many types of therapies, and this list is only a sampling of the most popular! A qualified therapist will assess your biological, social, and psychological history to determine a combination of therapies and techniques that will best help you. If you see a therapy on this list that sounds interesting to you, contact us today - our experienced therapists here at AWC practice all these therapies and more!
References
Kottler, J. A., & Shepard, D. S. (2015). Introduction to therapeutic counseling: Voices from the field (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Company. ISBN-13: 9781285084763
