Have you ever felt like life was too hard? Maybe your stress levels are high, and it feels impossible to make time for yourself. If that sounds familiar, there might be a way out! There’s no need to live with the daily mental strain of anxiety or depression because talk therapy can help change all that.
What is Talk Therapy?
Talk therapy (also known as psychotherapy) is an effective form of stress management that can help you get your feelings out and may even keep problems from getting worse. You never know what will happen, but talking to someone always helps, especially a mental health professional!
Talk therapy’s process has been proven a great way to manage the stresses in life by letting people talk about their troubles with another person who listens without judging them or telling them how they should deal with it.
Talk therapy is a form of mental health treatment in which you meet with a therapist to discuss any problems that are affecting your life. One meeting takes about 50 minutes, and sessions may happen once every week or two weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms. How often you go depends on how severe your condition is — if it’s milder, then weekly meetings might be enough; but more severe conditions like anxiety disorders could require up to six appointments per month for 2-4 months before seeing progress.
What are the Four Main Types of Talk Therapy?
Aside from finding a therapist that you’ll be comfortable with, there are also different types of talk therapy that you can review with your therapist so both of you can figure out what’s the best approach for you.
Humanistic Therapy helps patients reach fulfilment by living their life following what they feel to be true, ignoring societal pressures. The individual’s self-actualization through client-centred therapy and Gestalt Therapy are only two branches within this family tree; other schools include existential psychotherapy.
Behavior Therapy helps individuals better understand themselves and their environment by looking at destructive behaviour patterns that must be addressed while reinforcing desirable ones.
Source: Pexels
Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Therapy uses the past to help you understand how your present is shaped by it. By exploring the past is one way, for example, on what ways of thinking and feeling a person has developed which are not helpful in their current situations or relationships with others.
With this new perspective, they can change those thoughts and feelings into more positive ones through different methods such as mindfulness meditation techniques that allow them to find calmness when experiencing emotions like anger or depression within themselves.
Integrative/Holistic Therapy blends elements from different theories to meet the needs of their clients, therapists who use a holistic approach choose a variety of techniques rather than focusing on one idea specifically.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on your thoughts and feelings instead of the things you do. The therapist will help identify where some irrational behavior might be coming from. They’ll work with patients to develop coping skills so you can better manage stressors or negative emotions without having them take over.
Other Types of Talking Therapy
- Couple, Relationship or Family Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Mindfulness-based Therapy
- Life Coaching
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Arts & Craft
- Telephone Counselling
- Motivational Counselling
- Bibliotherapy
- Computer-based/Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (can be paid or free)
These different kinds of therapies aim to help you understand yourself better and help you treat various disorders like stress, PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.
What are the Benefits of Talk Therapy?
If you’re reading up to this point, you now understand that seeking talk therapy is not a sign of weakness but a great way to address your mental issues. Engaging yourself in the treatments listed above is a benefit on its own, and it will reduce or alleviate:
- Entrenchment of psychological problems
- Emotional and psychological symptoms
Your issues are better resolved by receiving professional guidance and support and making positive personal changes because of improved behaviours. You’ll also see benefits for your physical body because you’re guided to a better and healthier status.
A patient can only truly take advantage of these benefits when he is on the same page with his therapist by not just being a passive observer and listener but actively engaging with your every session.
How is Talk Therapy Done?
The ultimate goal of talking therapies is to help you feel better and always find ways to deal with a situation or disorder effectively. It is for everyone — young and adult, single or married, the whole family.
Talk Therapy can be short-term or long term (from a few sessions to years) depending on the complexity of the issues presented by the person in need. Every session may last from 50 minutes or longer.
How To Select The Right Therapist
Because of the Internet, talk therapists can now be found both physically and online. When selecting a therapist, you should be aware of your disorder so you can choose the right therapy and treatment plan.
You can start by:
- Seek your family or friends’ recommendation
- Ask your doctor for referral
- Check with your local mental health facility
- Also consider the gender of your therapist because talk therapy includes sharing private information. You want to be comfortable sharing this info.
- Check their online portfolio.
- Check their theoretical orientation so that you can check if they’ll be effective in treating your disorder.
Also, have these questions prepared to ask your therapist so that you’ll be more confident in your decision when finally selecting your chosen therapist:
- How much is the treatment?
- What is the schedule? How often will I get to book your service?
- What’s your approach to Talking Therapy?
- What’s your professional training and education?
- What’s your expectation from me?
The more questions you ask, the more you can have information about a therapist, and search for more if you find the answers lacking.
How To Spot A Good Talk Therapist
There are many different therapists available, but to genuinely help people should be their number one trait and treatment. Building a solid relationship with your therapist is essential.
A good therapist is:
- Humble enough to know their limits and refer you to somebody else.
- Always reinforce positive thoughts
- Guides and help you learn how to change
- Always giving value to what you say
- Listens intently and deeply
- Goes beyond the pay because of having best interest at heart
- Pause and check if you’re getting what you want in a therapy
Building a trusting relationship with your therapist is an essential step in the therapy process. It’s worth taking time to get comfortable and ask any questions about how this will work before getting started. Why? Because it can be difficult if certain things might prevent them from being able to help, such as dependency or financial issues.
A good therapist should make sure they don’t push their agenda onto patients and take into account what the patient wants out of treatment, so both parties feel like they’re making progress during sessions together.
Is Talk Therapy Worth It?
Talking with your friends, family, or a trusty confidant is a therapy on its own that provides tons of benefits. Instead of opting for self-support, self-medication, or self-treatment, that will bring in more negative effects and bring out unwanted behaviours. What more when done with a professional? A person suffering from different mental health conditions, if left untreated, will result in severe health problems.
Final Words
There are many different types of therapy, but what they all have in common is emotional support. Whether you’re dealing with a recent loss or chronic depression, talk therapy can help alleviate symptoms and teach new ways to cope. The best news? It’s available for anyone — no matter the issue at hand!
Take some time today to research different therapists in your area or try teletherapy if there isn’t one nearby. And don’t forget to ask questions before picking someone; this relationship requires patience, communication and trust from both parties, so make sure they’re right for you before settling on them.