Psychotherapy

What is Psychotherapy?

Every individual at some point of their life experiences problems in living, personal growth and development that can impact their mental health and wellbeing. Being in Psychotherapy gives you a regular time to think and talk about the issues which are stopping you living a happier and fuller life.

During the process, a trained psychotherapist helps the client explore a specific or general issue such as a particular mental health difficulty or a source of life stress. Depending on the approach used by the therapist, a wide range of techniques and strategies can be used. However, almost all types of psychotherapy involve developing a therapeutic relationship, in a safe, non judgemental space and involves the collaboration of the client and therapist to overcome problematic thoughts or behaviours.

What are the different kinds of psychotherapy?

There are many different approaches to psychotherapy. Psychotherapists generally draw on one or more of these. Each theoretical perspective acts as a roadmap to help the psychologist understand their clients and their problems and develop solutions.

The kind of treatment you receive will depend on a variety of factors: current psychological research, your Psychotherapist theoretical orientation and what works best for your situation.

Your Psychotherapist theoretical perspective will affect what goes on in his or her office. Psychotherapists who use cognitive-behavioural therapy, for example, have a practical approach to treatment. Your psychotherapist might ask you to tackle certain tasks designed to help you develop more effective coping skills. This approach often involves homework. Your Psychotherapist might ask you to gather more information, such as logging your reactions to a particular situation as they occur. Or your Psychotherapist might want you to practice new skills between sessions. You might also have reading assignments so you can learn more about a particular topic.

In contrast, psycho-dynamic, psychoanalytic and humanistic approaches typically focus more on talking than doing. You might spend your sessions discussing your early experiences to help you and your Psychotherapist better understand the root causes of your current problems.

Your psychotherapist may combine elements from several styles of psychotherapy. In fact, most 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.

The main thing to know is whether your psychotherapist has expertise in the area you need help with and whether your psychotherapist feels he or she can help you.