Types of Therapy for Mental Health

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KEY POINTS

• Mental health therapy is a way to help you understand yourself better and to learn how to deal with your problems.
• There are many different types of mental health therapies. The kind of therapy that is best for you depends on your needs.

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What is therapy?

Mental health therapy is a way to help you understand yourself better. Being in therapy does not mean you are crazy. Everyone has problems. Therapy is one way to learn how to deal with your problems.

What are some types of mental health therapy?

There are many different types of mental health therapies. Here are some examples:

• Art Therapy. Drawing, painting, or working with clay can help you express things that you may not be able to put into words. Art therapists work with children, teens, and adults, including people with disabilities.
• Behavioral Therapy. Behavior therapy teaches you new and different ways to respond to things that cause problems or that upset you. The goal in behavior therapy is to increase wanted behaviors and decrease unwanted behaviors.
• Biofeedback. Your body takes care of things like heart rate, blood pressure, and skin temperature without the need for you to think about it. Biofeedback therapy uses sensors to make you more aware of your body and how to control the way your body responds. This may help reduce stress and give you more control over your health.
• Cognitive Therapy. This type of therapy takes the approach that how you think affects how you feel and behave. This therapy helps you recognize unhealthy ways of thinking that keep you stuck. You learn how to change your thoughts and this can lead to changed behaviors. It can also improve self-esteem and confidence.
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you look at your thoughts, beliefs, and actions, and understand which ones cause problems for you. Then you learn to change unhealthy ways of thinking and acting.
• Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy (ERPT). This is a treatment that helps you change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cause distress and problems for you. ERPT helps you deal with your anxiety and fears by gradually exposing you to the something that upsets you while practicing new ways of responding.
• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). In EMDR the therapist helps you cope with feelings and thoughts about distressing past events. You move your eyes back and forth, usually following the therapist's hand or pen, while you recall the event. Over time, you become less upset about the event.
• Family or Couples Therapy. Family therapy treats all members of the family rather than working with one person alone. It helps the whole family understand each other better and make changes. Mental health problems may be hard to change without support from the family. Couples therapy helps partners improve their ability to communicate with each other. It may help you decide what changes are needed in the relationship and in the behavior of each partner. Both partners then work to learn new behaviors.
• Group Therapy. Group therapy is a way to treat emotional and psychological problems. It takes place in a group of 6 to 10 people, under the guidance of a therapist. Talking and interacting with other group members may help you to understand and change your own behavior.
• Hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy uses a state of deep, relaxed focus to treat medical or mental health conditions. This kind of therapy can help change feelings or behaviors in your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind stores feelings, thoughts, and urges that you are usually not aware of. Your conscious mind is the part that allows you to be aware of things around you and think logically.
• Interpersonal therapy (IPT). IPT focuses on your relationships, how you interact and communicate with others, and what you expect from other people. You learn new ways to express your feelings and resolve conflicts. IPT is time-limited, usually 8 to 16 sessions.
• Massage Therapy. Massage therapy uses pressure on muscles, tendons, and the lymph system. It may help reduce anxiety, stress, pain, or other conditions.
• Medicines. Medicines can help treat anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, or other mental health problems. Medicine may be prescribed by a psychiatrist or your healthcare provider. Medicine may help other kinds of treatment work better. Medicines may also be used alone.
• Music Therapy. Music therapy uses music to treat physical and mental health problems. Music therapy may involve singing, listening, moving, playing instruments, and other creative activities. Music therapists may also suggest ways to use music at home.
• Play Therapy. Play therapy uses toys, games, and drama to help children learn to deal with their feelings. Play therapy helps children express their feelings without words.
• Psychoanalytic Therapy. This type of therapy was developed by Sigmund Freud. In this therapy, you work to uncover experiences from your past that affect your current thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This kind of therapy can take years. It usually involves meeting several times a week.
• Psychodynamic Therapy. This type of therapy helps you bring past experiences and feelings to the surface. If you forget or deny painful thoughts, feelings, and memories, they can still affect your life. Once you are aware of these thoughts, feelings, and memories, you understand how they affect your behavior now. This type of therapy is less frequent, and doesn’t last as long as psychoanalytic therapy.
• Psychoeducational Therapy. This type of therapy involves the therapist teaching instead of the client talking. You may learn about mental health problems, treatment options, and how to cope with symptoms. Therapists may provide you with useful information or may help you learn different skills. They work with individuals and groups.
• Relaxation Therapies. Learning ways to relax, such as mindfulness, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation can help to reduce anxiety and stress. Yoga and meditation may also be helpful.

One kind of therapy might work best for you, such as play therapy for small children, or family therapy for family conflicts. The kind of therapy that is best for you depends on your needs.