What Type of Therapy is Best For You?

I wrote an article not long ago about how one should go about looking for a good therapist. I consider 'talk therapy' the very center of my wellness. I avoided going to a therapist for a very long time because I assumed they were just psychiatrists that gave you more than 15 minutes of their time…lol. In all seriousness, I don’t think I wanted a stranger to know all of my most intimate thoughts and feelings. It took several tries to find the ‘right’ therapist, someone I felt comfortable with and could help me direct my rather disjointed thought processes. The thing is, I LOVE to talk. I will talk until the cows come home unless politely interrupted. What I didn’t realize at the time I found my therapist was just how many different approaches to therapy there are. Because we all have different issues and personalities, finding the right TYPE of therapy can be just as important as finding the right THERAPIST.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and patient centered therapy

I initially thought that the type of therapy that my therapist was practicing was called Cognitive Behavioral therapy or CBT. CBT attempts to understand a particular person’s thought processes and how these processes affect their behavior. I believe that my therapist and I began this way, but at some point the therapist made the decision to switch up on me. There was a transition made to what is called Patient Centered Therapy. Patient Centered therapy allows the client (in this case, me) to sort of direct the session with the therapist acting as a kind of guide, asking the right questions at the right time to steer the patient in a particular direction, away from an unhealthy thought process or simply to reel the patient in when they are getting tangential. My therapist must have been astute enough to know that this is what would work best for me at that particular time. Good therapists will do this. Trick is finding the right one. CBT and Patient Centered Therapy are just two of the many approaches you can take to finding a good therapeutic experience. Let’s discuss some others.

Dialectical behavioral therapy

Due to my particular mental…uh…circumstances, it was suggested that I look into another type of therapy called Dialectical Behavioral therapy or DBT. DBT, on a very basic level, is a combination of Cognitive Behavioral therapy and Behavioral Modification therapy infused with ideas from various practices including Eastern mindfulness techniques. Behavioral Modification therapy focuses on the actual behaviors of an individual and attempts to replace negative behaviors with positive. Now, this may all seem like a lot and it may be for some of you. Some folks just want to talk about what is causing them pain and some folks would prefer not to do much talking at all. Don’t worry there is therapy for everyone! Let me explain.

Therapy for everyone!

There really is a type of therapy for anyone who is willing to participate in one way or the other. There is family centered therapy for those that are experiencing issues with the family or want to include family members in the process. No? How about Movement Therapy? This is therapy with a focus on the physical body and how building strength through a connection with the body. Perhaps, not your cup of tea? How about music therapy, art therapy, couples therapy, food plan development (that’s a good one for us) or aromatherapy? The fact is, with a little research and engagement you can probably find a therapeutic routine to fit your personality and your life.