What Type Of Therapy Is Best For You?

Starting therapy can be difficult enough…You go through all the steps of searching for a therapist.  Do you want online or in person? Can you get off work early one day a week or do you need weekend hours? Will you be using insurance or paying out of pocket? All this only to find out after 3 sessions you’re not benefitting from the services you’re receiving. This doesn’t mean you have a “bad” therapist; the type of therapy you need may not be one your therapist provides.

Some of us are visual learners while others learn best by reading. Just as each of us learns differently, we benefit differently from therapy. Therapy is not one size fits all.

A big difference in therapy comes down to how the therapist conducts sessions. Does the therapist provide active listening and support? Does the therapist provide you with homework in-between sessions? Does the therapist follow a specific workbook with the client each session? These are important distinctions to understand as each person benefits from therapy differently. 

Below are different forms of therapy to help you determine what  might be best for you.

Psychodynamic: This type of therapy was inspired by Sigmund Freud. This is what you see in movies where the client lays on a couch and talks about anything which comes to mind, often reflecting back to childhood. This type of therapy can be helpful if you benefit from simply having someone to talk things out with. The therapist will provide you with active listening and may ask exploratory questions to make connections between the current issue you’re exploring and a past experience. 

• What Psychodynamic Therapy is good for:

  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Substance Use

  • Somatic Symptoms

Behavior Therapy:  This type of therapy focuses on your behaviors and how past actions can impact your present experience. Behavioral therapy allows you to explore your behavior and reactions to things and focuses on how those patterns of behavior can cause emotional distress. Your therapist will put an emphasis on learned behaviors and their consequences then teach you how to alter your actions to lead to a change in your behavior.

• What Behavioral Therapy is good for:

  • Phobias

  • Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • Substance Use

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Cognitive Therapy: This approach to therapy focuses more on thought patterns rather than behaviors. This type of therapy explores the connection between thoughts and behaviors. This orientation is based on the notion that our thoughts determine our behavior. You will explore ways to replace negative thought patterns and behaviors leading to increased satisfaction. This type of therapy often requires homework between sessions. 

• What Cognitive Therapy is good for:

  • Mood Disorders (Depression & Bipolar Disorder)

  • Anxiety and Phobias

  • OCD

  • Insomnia

Humanistic Therapy: This approach focuses on the “whole person.” This means your therapist will enable you to be your true self. In Humanistic therapy you will learn how to grow and increase self-confidence and self-esteem. Your therapist will show you unconditional positive regard which means your therapist will accept you unconditionally even if they disagree with something you say. This therapy is particularly useful for those dealing with perceived or real negative judgements from others. 

• What Humanistic Therapy is Good For:

  • Self-esteem issues

  • Effects of trauma

  • Depression

  • Relationship Issues

Do these types of therapy sound like they’d be a good fit for you? Reach out to me, let’s get started on building a life you love.