Therapy: What is it anyway?

What is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is defined as a way of handling psychological problems with the help of a mental health provider, rather than medication. During psychotherapy, you will learn about your symptoms and explore aspects of what you are dealing with (e.g., triggers, mood, thoughts, behaviors). The goal of psychotherapy is to provide you tools to help you navigate through life’s challenges with a healthy response.

Psychotherapy involves different therapy modalities dependent upon your unique needs. There are many established treatments that have shown to be effective for different types of problems (see my blog here on effectiveness of psychotherapy).  It is a mental health professional’s job to determine what treatment modality would suite your needs and help you find the tools that are most optimal for your situation.

Some psychotherapists are specialists in certain modalities (e.g., psychoanalysis, cognitive-behavior therapy), where some use a more “eclectic” approach and bridge different modalities into the room. Though there are strengths for each therapist-style, I lean towards having a firm foundation in different modalities that I then can draw from in the therapy room (see a list of my modalities). I find that gives my clients the best of both worlds and provides them with individualized treatment to fit their own circumstances.

Psychotherapy is also known by other synonyms:  talk-therapy,  psychosocial therapy, or simply the term, therapy.

For more information who can provide therapy, see my blog post on choosing a therapist here!