Types of Therapy
A variety of approaches are considered to give people new tools to deal with ingrained,
troublesome patterns of behavior and to help them manage symptoms that is causing conflict in their lives.
The best therapists will work with you to determine the best tools and plans that will be most effective for you.
This sometimes involves a tailored approach to therapy.
Keep in mind that new research can yield rapid and dramatic changes in our
understanding and approaches to the therapeutic environment.
The following is a brief description of the methods most commonly use:
Behavioral Therapy:
As the name implies, this approach focuses on behavior. Changing unwanted behaviors through
rewards, reinforcements, and desensitization.
Desensitization is a process of confronting something that triggers anxiety, discomfort,
or fear to overcoming the unwanted responses. Behavioral therapy often involves the cooperation of others,
especially family and close friends, to reinforce a desired behavior.
Restorative Therapy:
This method aims to identify and correct distorted thinking patterns that can lead to feelings
and behaviors that may be troublesome, self-defeating, or even self-destructive.
The goal is to replace such thinking with a more balanced view that, in turn,
leads to more fulfilling and productive behavior.
Restorative-Behavioral Therapy:
A combination of cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy, this approach helps people change negative
thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors so they can manage symptoms and enjoy more productive, less stressful lives.
Couples Coaching and Family Therapy:
These two similar approaches to therapy involve discussions and problem-solving sessions facilitated
by a therapist sometimes with the couple or entire family group, sometimes with individuals.
This therapy type can help couples and family members improve their understanding how they respond to one another.
Family therapy may be very useful with children and adolescents who are experiencing problems.
Group Therapy:
This form of therapy involves groups, usually 4 to 12 people who have similar problems and who meet regularly with a therapist.
The therapist uses the emotional interactions of the group members to help them get relief
from distress and possibly modify their behavior.
Interpersonal Therapy:
Through one-on-one conversations, this approach focuses on the client’s current life and relationships within the family,
social, and work environments. The goal is to identify and resolve problems with insight, as well as build on strengths.
Play Therapy:
Geared toward young children, this technique uses a variety of activities such as painting,
drawing and board games to establish communication with the therapist and resolve problems.
Play allows the child to express emotions and problems that would be too difficult to discuss with another person.
Mindfulness & Self Regulation
This approach focuses on past conflicts as the underpinnings to current emotional and behavioral problems.
In this long-term and intensive therapy, an individual is working to discover unconscious motivations and earlier,
unproductive patterns of resolving issues.
Emotional Therapy:
Based on the principles of personal analysis, this therapy is less intense, tends to occur once or twice a week.
It is based on the premise that human behavior is determined by one’s past experiences, genetic factors, and current situation.
This approach recognizes the significant influence that emotions and unconscious motivation have on human behavior.