21 types of psychological therapies

There are many psychological therapies, But leaving aside their different perspectives, approaches and original theories, they all seek the same objective, the same therapeutic goal: to facilitate the change towards well-being. So, instead of asking ourselves which of these psychological strategies is better or which is worse, we should first ask ourselves what it is we need.

If we establish this hierarchy in the questions it is for a very simple reason. Many times, When a person becomes aware that they should go to a psychologist, they continue to have ideas Misconceptions about what psychological therapies are. He often has in mind the classic scene of a patient lying on a couch with the therapist standing behind him taking notes.

The classic image of psychoanalysis continues to weigh heavily on the collective unconscious. Likewise, it is common that many people still do not know that there are different psychological techniques, methods and schools. Hence the classic question of “but which one is better?”… Therefore, before making the mistake of emphasizing one therapy over any other, we must clarify some ideas.

Each model uses a series of distinctive techniques that will suit some people better and not others. At the same time, we cannot forget that Many of them focus on a specific type of objective that others do not usually work on.. Likewise, it is important to always keep in mind what is the general purpose on which all psychological therapies coincide.

What is psychotherapy?

The term “therapy” itself comes from Greek. “therapeuticós” and means “one who takes care of another person.” Now, the person who cares is a professional trained and qualified for this purpose through a series of studies and practices. Its purpose is not exactly to “care”, but to provide appropriate strategies and tools so that people can achieve balance and well-being through a determined change.

Therefore, we are facing an active and proactive process between two or more people. It is an intense working relationship, hard at times, a journey of discovery, creativity and interpersonal dynamics where it is not worth staying still, where the therapist is not limited to giving advice or guidelines about what his patient or client is obliged to do. .

As Richard Lazarus explains to us, “The goal of therapy is to teach people to see problems as challenges and not threats.”

Why go to psychological therapy?

Now, how do we know if we need to go to psychotherapy? Generally, people go to a professional when they are aware that something is not right in their life and they experience some emotional discomfort. Some of the most common situations are the following:

Difficulty sleepingLack of motivation.Substance abuse to relieve the discomfort experienced. Suffer from a phobia. Constant irritability and the feeling that everyone is against you.Poor academic or work performance.Constantly having negative thoughts.Feeling that we are worthless as people.Feeling of emptiness.Absence of a life purpose or goals to achieve.Constant couple conflicts.Conflicts in the family system.

Types of psychological therapies

As we already saw, there are different reasons that move us to look for a psychotherapist. In these cases, It never hurts to know the different therapeutic strategies that we have at our disposal.

All of them, if carried out by competent, trained and well-trained professionals, can be effective. We already know that as patients or clients we must take an active role; at the same time, It is necessary to know what approach each psychological therapy uses to at least intuit whether that therapeutic framework can adjust to our characteristics and needs.

Let’s now see what the main psychological therapies are and what they can offer us.

A. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

Cognitive-behavioral therapies are based on understanding the way people think (cognitive approach) and the way we behave (behavioral approach).. The goal of this approach is to teach us that change is possible, but to achieve it we must first learn to improve our thoughts, attitudes and behaviors.

In this type of therapy, the specialist will seek to identify the patient’s problems, serving as a guide to change dysfunctional thought patterns. To achieve this, A functional analysis of behavior is carried out in order to find out what the “maladaptive” behaviors are.Once identified, the cognitive-behavioral therapist will use various techniques to train the person in problem solving, skills training, cognitive restructuring, etc.

Likewise, if we now ask ourselves if this type of therapy is effective, it should be noted that it has a high success rate. As revealed by a study carried out at Boston University and published in the Journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, is effective in treating a large number of psychological problems and disorders.

On the other hand, cognitive-behavioral therapies include other therapeutic lines that are important to know.

1. Acceptance and commitment therapy

Acceptance and commitment therapy is effective in addressing depression.Its objective is to train us in psychological flexibility to improve the focus of our thoughts and promote change. A series of practical exercises are used to recognize the emotional problem, see the effect they have on our thoughts and behaviors, and from there , assume an authentic and full commitment to ourselves.

2. Behavioral therapy

Behavioral therapy is useful in the treatment of phobias and addictions.As the name itself indicates, it seeks to make us see our learned or conditioned behaviors to see the impact they can have on our lives. Once identified, the objective is clear: help us “unlearn” to “recondition” ourselves towards healthier actions and behaviors. and integrators.

3. Cognitive analytical therapy

Very useful in brief and specific treatments (based on 12 sessions) to improve certain behaviors, distorted thoughts, behavioral problems… It is usually implemented in the mental health areas of many hospitals.Cognitive analytical therapy unites cognitive therapy with analytical psychology.The goal is to help the patient understand why they think the way they do or why they behave the way they do. In this way, various coping techniques are provided to implement the change.

4. The Rational Emotive-Behavioral Therapy

The rational Emotive-Behavioral therapy of Albert Ellis It is useful for the treatment of anger, anxiety, frustrations, social phobia, shyness and sexual dysfunctions.According to him Journal of Clinical Psychologyis today a type of solid and effective intervention, in addition to being one of the main pillars of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Its objective is to resolve emotional and behavioral problems through a more directive, philosophical and empirical approach.Rationality is used so that the person becomes aware of their emotions, as well as those destructive and limiting thoughts. Those that are often on a more unconscious or automatic level and that the person himself does not usually identify himself. Later, the psychotherapist provides strategies for the patient to use more constructive thoughts.

B. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies

One of the best-known psychological therapies is undoubtedly the one that responds to the theoretical model that Sigmund Freud proposed almost a century ago. Although it itself draws that iconography that is so close and familiar to the general population, it is necessary to know what its dynamics, principles and objectives are before choosing to start therapy within this framework.

Let’s look at some of its features.

Psychoanalytic therapy It is based on the principle that sometimes human beings manifest a series of unconscious conflicts that originate in our past, especially in childhood. Much of our issues are the result of poorly repressed instinctive impulses in the unconscious.The goal of the psychoanalyst is facilitate all those unconscious conflicts to ascend to the conscious world. To do this, emotional catharsis and free association will be used, techniques that help identify them and break down the defense mechanisms that most of us use to avoid the original problem. Scientific research on its effectiveness shows us, for example, that it is very useful for treating fears and phobias. For example, A study carried out at Columbia University reveals that it is effective in panic disorders.

These would be the main psychological therapies that fall within this approach.

5. The Psychoanalytic Therapy

Psychoanalytic therapy is useful for treating childhood traumas, phobias and depression.This therapy explores, as we have indicated, the unconscious mind and how it influences our thoughts and behaviors. Above all, it focuses its efforts on analyzing childhood experiences, trying to identify how these specific events have impacted the person’s life. This type of therapy usually extend a long time.

6. Dynamic interpersonal therapy