Finding Your Fit: A Guide to Different Therapy Approaches
Decided to start talk therapy? Great! Now that you’ve made the first step, the next is to consider what kind of therapy you’d prefer. There are many different approaches to therapy, so if one style doesn’t suit you, you can try a different approach to see if that suits your needs better. Each person is unique and responds differently to counselling styles. From cognitive approaches to psychodynamic approaches, let’s break down some of the common models of therapy to help guide you into deciding what’s the best fit for you.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns, such as catastrophizing or overgeneralising. It’s a short-term, structured approach to mental wellbeing, and common for treatment of symptoms such as anxiety and depression. A key concept of CBT is the belief that thoughts, feelings and behaviours are interconnected. Essentially, it suggests thoughts influence feelings and feelings influence behaviours and these behaviours reinforce the thoughts. Breaking this cycle can help you manage symptoms and develop more adaptive patterns. Think of it like rewiring your brains thought patterns and responses to certain situations.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a subtype of CBT as it draws on CBT strategies. However, DBT therapists have a strong focus on emotional regulation and combating destructive tendencies. To do this, they combine key principles of CBT with coping strategies, such as mindfulness, to help you learn to cope with emotional distress. They also aim to foster improved interpersonal effectiveness through skills training such as learning assertive communication. DBT typically involves a structured program, often 6-12 months, with regular sessions and homework activities.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is one of the newest subtypes of CBT and focuses on accepting thoughts and emotions while taking action towards your valued life goals. It’s about embracing the present moment and doing what matters to you, even if it’s tough. For example, you may learn to accept negative emotions rather than suppress them and work towards building a more meaningful life aligned with your personal values.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
IPT is all about exploring how your interpersonal relationships impact your mental wellbeing. IPT focuses on improving communication to help you build and maintain stronger relationships. This approach can be helpful when tackling challenges like navigating life transitions. It’s a practical, goal-oriented approach to help you navigate the tricky bits of connecting with others, whether it’s your friends, families, colleagues or partner.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative approaches are all about rewriting the stories that shape your life. It’s a creative approach that sees problems as seperate from you. A therapist using narrative approaches will help you to explore and reframe the narratives that are holding you back so that you can feel more empowered. This approach can be helpful in addressing various needs, whether it’s overcoming tough experiences, building self-confidence or self-identity.
Psychodynamic Therapy
This type of therapy explores how past experiences shape your present thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It’s like uncovering hidden patterns and connections that influence your life in the present. It’s a more introspective approach, so you can expect that your therapist will guide you to explore unconscious thoughts and feelings to help you gain insight into yourself and your motivations. Psychodynamic therapy can help with understanding patterns, relationships and personal growth.
Finding the right therapist is key in getting the most out of therapy. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider what approach would help you feel more comfortable and then picking a therapist that has training in your preferred therapeutic approach. Don’t be afraid to shop around, it’s a personal journey and you need to find what resonates with you. There are plenty of other therapeutic approaches that may be of interest to you, such as art therapy or mindfulness-based therapies. You may also like to consider relationship approaches, such as couples therapy. For more information about how couples therapy may be beneficial, click here.
