Psychotherapy
Let’s Talk About It
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT is a structured, goal-oriented type of psychotherapy (talk therapy).
Mental health professionals use CBT to treat or manage mental health conditions and emotional concerns. It is one of the most common and best-studied forms of psychotherapy.
CBT is based on several core principles, including:
- Psychological issues are partly based on problematic or unhelpful patterns of thinking.
- Psychological issues are partly based on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.
- Psychological issues are partly based on problematic core beliefs, including central ideas about yourself and the world.
- People experiencing psychological issues can learn better ways of coping with them. This can help relieve their symptoms and improve their mental and emotional health.
During CBT, a mental health professional helps you take a close look at your thoughts and emotions. You’ll come to understand how your thoughts affect your actions. Through CBT, you learn to adopt healthier thinking patterns and habits.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT).
IPT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on relieving symptoms of distress by improving interpersonal functioning. IPT aims to improve psychological symptoms as a response to current difficulties faced in life.
IPT is beneficial in the following areas:
- Grief and loss
- Life changes, such as job loss or the birth of a child, that affect people's feelings about themselves and others
- Conflict in relationships that are a source of tension and distress
- Difficulties in starting or sustaining relationships
IPT is most often used during the acute phase of major depression (0-16 weeks), but can also be leveraged as a maintenance treatment to prevent relapse and recurrence of treated symptoms.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
MBCT is a form of therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
MBCT teaches clients to be in the here and now and break away from negative thought patterns that can cause a decline into a mood-disordered state proactive to onset.
- Present moment awareness
- Meditation
- Breathing exercises
MBCT was developed for people to prevent relapse from recurring episodes of depression or deep unhappiness.
Mindfulness-based relapse prevention may help treat:
- Depressive disorders
- General anxiety disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Addictions
MBCT has also been shown to improve symptoms of depression in clients with physical health conditions, such as:
- Chronic pain
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Vascular disease
- Fibromyalgia
During MBC, mindfulness exercises rebalance neural networks allowing clients to move away from automatic negative responses toward an understanding that there are other ways to respond to difficult life situations.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
DBT is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely.
DBT focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and their behaviors, as well as helping them learn to change their lives, including their unhelpful behaviors.
DBT is especially effective for people who have difficulty managing and regulating their emotions. DBT has been proved effective for treating and managing a wide range of mental health conditions including:
- Borderline personality disorder
- Self-harm
- Suicidal behavior
- PTSD
- Eating disorders
- Depression
- Anxiety
DBT teaches people healthier ways to cope with the intense, negative emotions underlying these conditions.
Problem-solving Therapy (PST).
PST is a cognitive behavioral therapy that aims to help individuals adopt a realistically optimistic view of coping.
PST teaches clients to understand the role of emotions more effectively, and creatively develop an action plan geared to reduce psychological distress and enhance wellbeing.
The technique can be used to help clients successfully deal with emotional distress and prevent psychological problems from developing.
Examples of where PST may help:
- Undergoing divorce
- Death and loss
- Job loss
- Experiencing a major medical illness
- Significant financial problems
- Traumatic life events
Developing goal-oriented coping mechanisms with PST for traumatic life events can help prevent:
- Clinical depression
- Generalized anxiety
- Pain
- Anger
- Interpersonal relationship difficulties
Psychodynamic Therapy (PDT).
PDT is a talk therapy that focuses on psychological interpretation of mental and emotional processes.
Rooted in traditional psychoanalysis, PDT draws from object relations, ego psychology, and self psychology. It was developed as a simpler, less-lengthy alternative to psychoanalysis.
Psychodynamic therapy aims to address the foundation and formation of psychological processes. In this way, it seeks to reduce symptoms and improve people’s lives.
In psychodynamic therapy, therapists help people gain insight into their lives and present-day problems. They also evaluate patterns people develop over time. To do this, therapists review certain life factors with a person in therapy:
- Emotions
- Thoughts
- Early-life experiences
- Beliefs
Recognizing recurring patterns can help people see how they avoid distress or develop defense mechanisms to cope. This insight can help to begin changing behavioral patterns.
PDT can be used as short-term or long-term therapy. Brief psychodynamic therapy is goal-oriented and can take as many as 25 sessions. Long-term psychodynamic therapy may take two years or more.
Reach Out Today!
It’s important not to attempt a self-diagnosis of any specific mental health conditions, but rather to take notice and be aware of triggers, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that feel unhealthy or disrupt your everyday life. We are often hyper-aware of conditions related to flaws in our physical health, but mental health is equally important. Determining whether or not to see a psychiatrist often requires a candid self-assessment of your symptoms and day-to-day experiences. To even make this amount of individual progress is a significant step in the right direction toward achieving quality mental health. If you are experiencing the symptoms of mental health conditions it is essential to seek help and guidance in treating them.