PSYCHOTHERAPY
Get to know more about
Psychotherapy in context of
Guidance and counselling
Psychotherapy refers to a collaborative
treatment approach between a trained
therapist or mental health professional
and an individual or group seeking to
address and overcome emotional,
psychological, or behavioral challenges.
INTRODUCTION
• Psychotherapy helps to improve well-being,
alleviate distress, and promote personal
development through various therapeutic
techniques and interventions.
• These may include talk therapy, behavioral
interventions, cognitive restructuring, and
other methods tailored to the specific needs of
the client.
• It enhance self-awareness, foster positive
changes in thinking and behavior, and
facilitate the resolution of emotional
difficulties.
• Psychotherapy, counseling, and guidance are
interconnected, yet they differ in their focus,
duration, and depth of intervention.
• Psychotherapy delves deeper into complex
psychological issues.
• Counseling addresses a broad range of
concerns in a shorter term.
• Guidance provides information and support
for decision-making, often in specific life
domains like education and career.
• Psychotherapy may include counseling techniques,
and counseling may involve providing guidance.
The specific approach used depends on the nature
of the issues and the goals of the intervention.
Types of Psychotherapy
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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Humanist Therapy
Dialectical behavioral Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychoanalytic Therapy
Child Therapy
Individual Therapy
Group therapy
Family therapy
Cognitive-Behavioral
Therapy
• Focuses on identifying and changing negative thought
patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional
distress.
• It focuses on the link between our thoughts (cognition)
and our actions (behavior).
• CBT is intended to help people change thought patterns
that cause unhealthy, unproductive, or incapacitating
behavior.
• Treat a wide range of conditions, including: Anger issue,
anxiety, depression, eating disorder, panic attacks,
personality disorder, phobias, and addictions.
Humanistic Therapy
Humanistic therapy increase self-awareness and
acceptance through focus on conscious thoughts.
Humanistic therapy, developed by Carl Roger,
consists of two popular techniques.
• Client-centered therapy
• Gestalt
Client-centered therapy
• Client-centered therapy emphasizes personal
growth, self-actualization, and the importance of
the individual's subjective experience.
• Therapist creates a supportive and empathetic
therapeutic relationship which allows the clients
to investigate their identity, feelings, experiences
or emotions.
Gestalt therapy
• It helps focus on “here and now” feelings and
experiences rather than their perception of the
root causes of those feelings.
• Therapist will help you explore feelings and
experiences through experiential techniques. It
involves re-enactments, role-playing, exaggerated
movement, and other exercises.
Dialectical Behavioral
Therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treatment is a
form of cognitive behavior therapy. Its primary
aim is to give people the skills to regulate their
emotions, handle stress in a healthy manner, and
improve relationships, and live mindfully.
• Originally developed to treat people with
borderline personality disorder.
• DBT is believed to be especially helpful for
people with seemingly uncontrollable, intense
negative emotions or those who may incline
toward self-harm.
Psychodynamic Therapy
• Therapists explores unconscious processes and
how past experiences influenced client’s present
behavior. It aims to increase self-awareness and
insight.
• The therapist plays an active role in interpreting
and analyzing the client's thoughts, emotions, and
behaviors.
• The ultimate goal is to foster insight and selfreflection. By understanding the root causes of
behaviors and conflicts, clients can make positive
changes in their lives.
Psychoanalytic Therapy
• This therapy delves into unconscious processes,
childhood experiences, and the impact of early
relationships on current behavior.
• It is an in-depth and long-term therapeutic
approach that aims to explore and understand
unconscious thoughts and emotions, with the goal
of bringing hidden conflicts into conscious
awareness.
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• Clients engage in free association, a process
where they express thoughts, feelings, and
memories as they arise without censorship. This
helps uncover unconscious material and allows
the therapist to identify patterns and themes.
• Dreams are considered a pathway to the
unconscious. Psychoanalytic therapists analyze
the content of dreams to gain insights into
unresolved conflicts, desires, and emotions.
Child Therapy
• Child therapy, also known as play therapy or child
counseling,
• Therapists use age-appropriate techniques such
as play, art, and storytelling to help children
express themselves and explore their feelings.
• Child therapy aims to support healthy emotional
development, improve communication skills, and
address specific issues such as anxiety, trauma,
or family changes in a manner that is tailored to
the child's developmental stage.
Individual Therapy
• Individual therapy involves working one-on-one with a
psychotherapist.
• The therapist helps client to explore their feelings, work
through life challenges, identify aspects of themselves
and their lives that they wish to change, and set goals to
help them work towards these changes. These may involve
only a few sessions, or the client may attend individual
therapy sessions for a year or longer.
• These meetings typically occur weekly or every other
week
• Sessions are conducted in a confidential and caring
environment.
Family Therapy
• Family therapy focuses on improving communication and
resolving conflicts within family systems. It recognizes
the influence of family dynamics on individual well-being.
• It can help individual family members build stronger
relationships, improve communication, and manage
conflicts within the family system.
• Helps create a better home environment, solve family
issues, and understand the unique issues that a family
might face.
Group Therapy
• Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in
which a small group of individuals with similar
concerns or goals meets regularly under the
guidance of a trained therapist.
• The group setting provides a supportive and
confidential environment for members to share
their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
• Offer support when needed.
• Provides feedback.
When should you consider
psychotherapy?
Therapy can help improve symptoms of many mental
health conditions. In therapy, people can learn to cope
with symptoms that may not respond to treatment
right away. Research shows the benefits of therapy
last longer than medication alone. Medication can
reduce some symptoms of mental health conditions, but
therapy teaches people skills to address many
symptoms on their own.
Situations in
which
considering
psychotherapy
might be
beneficial:
• Mental Health Issues
• Life Transitions
• Relationship Issues
• Trauma or Abuse
• Chronic Stress
• Self-Exploration and Personal
Growth
• Unhealthy Patterns
• Difficulty Coping
• Addiction Issues
• Persistent Symptoms
Confidentiality
Except in rare cases, conversations with your
therapist are confidential. But a therapist may break
confidentiality if there's an immediate threat to safety
or when state or federal law requires reporting
concerns to authorities. Your therapist can answer
questions about confidentiality.
Duration of psychotherapy
• Your mental health issues.
• Severity of your symptoms.
• How long you've had symptoms or have been dealing
with your mental health issues.
• How quickly you make progress toward your
treatment goals.
• How much stress you're experiencing.
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• How much your mental health concerns interfere with
daily life.
• How much support you receive from family members
and others.
• Cost and insurance limitations.
Utilization of psychotherapy
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Make sure you feel comfortable with your therapist.
Approach therapy as a partnership.
Be open and honest
Follow your treatment plan
Don't expect instant results.
Do your homework between sessions.
If psychotherapy isn't helping, talk to your therapist.