Written by: Abbey Cerny, LMHC
Psychotherapy, counseling, or seeing a shrink - these are all ways to describe talk therapy. Talk therapy, also known as mental health therapy or counseling, can help with a spectrum of mental illnesses and emotional challenges, as well as eliminate or increase management of distressing symptoms. Some challenges that may be helped by therapy include daily stressors, impacts of trauma, grief, life changes, or symptoms related to specific mental health disorders. For many people, psychotherapy utilized in combination with medication management or other therapies is helpful.
Therapy can be provided in an individual, couple, or family setting. Typically sessions are held once a week and each session may last from 30-55 minutes, but this varies. Psychotherapy can be short-term, lasting only a few sessions, or it can be long-term to address more complex issues. Goals of treatment, frequency and duration of sessions, and length of treatment are discussed and planned jointly by the client and therapist. Confidentiality is the backbone of therapy and allows for a safe space for clients to share personal feelings, thoughts, and experiences.
Trust and support in the therapeutic relationship is crucial to working together effectively and optimizing the benefits for the client. What you should expect from an effective therapeutic environment is compassion, empathy, and safety. A therapist can provide helpful insights into experiences, point out unproductive patterns, help problem solve challenges, educate on new skills, validate personal events, and provide evidence-based treatment for specific disorders. A therapist cannot tell you what to do or make things in your life change; that’s the work the client has to do with the guidance and support of the therapist.
So, does therapy work? According to an article by the American Psychiatric Association, about 75% of people who engage in therapy receive some benefit from the experience, such as alleviation of symptoms, improvement in coping, or generally feeling more at ease. However, success in therapy is dependent upon some things that are within a client’s control and some things that are not. Besides having a skilled therapist, to increase the benefits of therapy, a client can approach treatment willing to collaborate with the provider, be open and honest, and follow through on agreed upon assignments, skills, or interventions in between sessions. Therapy is effective when you are ready and open to it, have realistic expectations of therapy, and are willing to put in the work outside of sessions to see the benefits. For additional information on how you can increase the benefits of therapy, check out our blog post How to Get the Most Out of Therapy.
What kind of provider should you see for therapy? Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, licensed counselors, and other mental health professionals may provide talk therapy services. What type of provider you see may depend on your insurance, availability in your area, what type of therapy services you are seeking (medication management, for example), or what modality (type of therapy) a provider uses. What kind of therapy or modality should you look for? Providers will often use multiple modalities of therapy. A therapist may choose to utilize a specific modality based on a client’s particular diagnosis, circumstances, or the therapist’s preference. It is not uncommon for providers to combine elements of different modalities to serve all the needs of a client. It can be helpful to ask your therapist in the first few sessions what therapy modalities they utilize. Below are some of the modalities of treatment utilized and a brief description, provided by the American Psychiatric Association:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps people identify and change thinking and behavior patterns that are harmful or ineffective, replacing them with more accurate thoughts and functional behaviors. It can help a person focus on current problems and how to solve them. CBT can be helpful in treating a variety of disorders, including depression, anxiety, trauma related disorders, and eating disorders. For example, CBT can help a person with depression recognize and change negative thought patterns or behaviors that are contributing to the depression.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a short-term form of treatment. It helps patients understand underlying interpersonal issues that are troublesome, like unresolved grief, changes in social or work roles, conflicts with significant others, and problems relating to others. It can help people learn healthy ways to express emotions and ways to improve communication and how they relate to others. It is most often used to treat depression.
Dialectical behavior therapy is a specific type of CBT that helps regulate emotions. It is often used to treat people with chronic suicidal thoughts and people with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders and PTSD. It teaches new skills to help people take personal responsibility to change unhealthy or disruptive behavior. It involves both individual and group therapy.
Psychodynamic therapy is based on the idea that behavior and mental well-being are influenced by childhood experiences and inappropriate repetitive thoughts or feelings that are unconscious (outside of the person’s awareness). A person works with the therapist to improve self-awareness and to change old patterns so he/she can more fully take charge of his/her life.
Psychoanalysis is a more intensive form of psychodynamic therapy. Sessions are typically conducted three or more times a week.
Supportive therapy uses guidance and encouragement to help patients develop their own resources. It helps build self-esteem, reduce anxiety, strengthen coping mechanisms, and improve social and community functioning. Supportive psychotherapy helps patients deal with issues related to their mental health conditions which in turn affect the rest of their lives.
Additional therapies sometimes used in combination with psychotherapy include:
Animal-assisted therapy – working with dogs, horses or other animals to bring comfort, help with communication and help cope with trauma
Creative arts therapy – use of art, dance, drama, music and poetry therapies
Play therapy – to help children identify and talk about their emotions and feelings
Our therapists at Forensic Insight Group are here to support you and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to learn more about current therapy groups or to schedule a free fifteen-minute consultation regarding individual therapy or other services.
Citation:
American Psychiatric Association. (2019, January). What is Psychotherapy? Psychiatry.org; American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/psychotherapy
What to Expect from Therapy | JED. (2022, November 29). The Jed Foundation. https://jedfoundation.org/resource/what-to-expect-from-therapy/