Exploring the Various Therapy Approaches Used by Therapists and Counselors
There are numerous counseling choices for those who need help with a mental health condition. For example, therapists who use the client-centered humanistic approach view clients as the experts in their own lives.
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing behaviors, such as avoidance or self-sabotage, through problem-solving. Rational emotive behavior therapy addresses irrational thoughts and beliefs, while dialectical behavior therapy promotes regulating emotions and learning how to communicate more effectively.
Behavioral-Based Therapy
Behavioral therapy uses various techniques to address the root of mental disorders. Depending on the type of disorder, this may include learning to control emotions, identifying unhealthy behaviors, and developing positive ways to cope.
First, your Aetna therapists in Seattle will ask about your symptoms, overall feelings, and any difficulties you encounter. They’ll also want to know if you have any fears or phobias. This information will help them determine the best treatment approach for you.
One popular form of behavior-based therapy is called systematic desensitization, which can be used to treat phobias. With this technique, your therapist will slowly expose you to the items or situations you are afraid of to overcome your fear. For example, if you fear dogs, your therapist will first introduce you to pictures of dogs before moving on to in-vivo exposure therapy, where you physically face your fears (but only under the supervision of a professional). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a goal-oriented, time-based, and structured talk therapy that’s been shown to be effective for depression and anxiety disorders.
Humanistic/Experiential Therapy
Humanistic/experiential therapy, sometimes called person-centered, Rogerian, or transpersonal treatment, is a talk therapy that empowers you to go within for the answers to life’s significant issues. This type of therapy may be a good option for you if you struggle with feelings of depression, anxiety, or a lack of purpose in your life.
Therapists who use humanistic/experiential therapy believe that you can become your own best resource to overcome mental health challenges and that you have an innate ability to heal and grow. Using active listening, empathetic support, and unconditional positive regard, they guide you as you identify unfulfilled needs and learn to meet them for yourself.
One technique commonly used in this type of therapy is psychodrama, in which you re-enact painful or distressing situations from your past to understand how they impacted your current emotional well-being and how to change negative behaviors. Other techniques include journaling and exploring your spiritual connection to the greater good.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a type of talk therapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Marsha Linehan developed it in the 1970s to treat borderline personality disorder or BPD. It is also used to treat other conditions like depression, bulimia, PTSD, bipolar and self-harm. The word dialectical in DBT refers to combining opposing ideas, such as acceptance-based strategies with change-oriented ones.
The basic skills that therapists use in DBT include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. The first step is stabilization, in which therapists help patients identify and address the most threatening behaviors to their well-being. This includes addressing suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well as honing skills to prevent them from hurting themselves or other people.
The second step involves working on the underlying emotions contributing to negative behaviors. This is often the most challenging part of the process, and it can include examining traumatic experiences. One technique that therapists use in this phase is radical acceptance, which focuses on accepting your pain rather than fighting it.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Many modern types of therapy focus on mitigating or getting rid of specific symptoms, such as anxiety. Psychodynamic therapy is different in that it emphasizes understanding a person’s unconscious desires and beliefs, which can help them overcome mental health issues.
Therapists discuss clients’ childhood and early life experiences and relationship habits during sessions. The therapist believes these influences can have an impact on the current state of the patient. In addition, the therapist may probe for signs of unconscious conflicts such as fears or phobias. These conflicts are sometimes repressed and may manifest in the form of somatic (bodily) complaints or addictions.
In sessions, clients are encouraged to talk freely without fear of judgment. They can investigate dreams, recollections, and early life events to understand their thoughts and emotions better. Similar to psychoanalysis, therapists use techniques such as therapeutic transference and countertransference to address emotional blocks in patients. These include rechanneling feelings from significant people in the past, such as parents and spouses, onto the therapist. These feelings are then interpreted to uncover the underlying causes of behavior and thinking patterns.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapy, also called IPT or interpersonal psychotherapy, focuses on relationships and how they affect your mood. It is a short-term approach to help you learn new ways to communicate, self-soothe, and pause triggering conversations. It operates under the belief that your significant relationships can impact your mood and mental health.
IPT is typically broken down into three distinct phases. During the beginning phase, your therapist will identify the relationship challenges contributing to your symptoms. For example, they may ask you to list your current and past significant relationships and determine whether they present a challenge.
During the middle portion of IPT, your therapist will develop targeted relationship strategies to bolster interpersonal functioning. This might include addressing a specific problem area like appropriate mourning in complicated grief, resolving an interpersonal struggle in role transition, decreasing social isolation for interpersonal deficits, or managing conflict in a particular relationship. You and your therapist will practice these skills in treatment sessions and work on applying them in real-world situations as you move forward with your treatment.
