How Does Psychotherapy Work

Featured Story
3 min readOct 11, 2019

--

You have probably heard about psychotherapy. Do you know what it is and how it can help someone? A lot of people are clueless about it. Even after knowing what it is, you would also want to get an answer to: how does psychotherapy work?

How Does Psychotherapy Work

How Does Psychotherapy Work — The Answer

You are at the right place. This post will explore the subject of psychotherapy. You will know the types of psychotherapy, how it works, its effectiveness, and a lot of other information. It will also help you decide on the kind of therapy you may need.

Kinds of Psychotherapy

There are so many types of psychotherapies that we cannot have them in here. Let’s have a look at a few that are more common;

  • Family therapy

It targets couples who are going through a hard time. A husband and wife will get guidance on how to solve their marital issues. It uses the technique of listening to each other and not throwing blames.

  • Cognitive therapy

This one is about tapping deep into a person’s abilities to beat things like depression and low esteem. It teaches people to think positively and approach everything with an open mind. It also helps people who have been through a traumatic experience.

  • Group therapy

People facing the same challenges are brought together to share their stories and get guidance. It could be people recovering from alcohol addiction. The technique aims to tell participants that their case is not the worst; other people are going through the same.

  • Behavioral therapy

BT encourages behavioral change. A person who has lived a careless and harmful life gets counseling to change their actions. It taps into their positive thinking and the good they can do for themselves and their loved ones.

  • Interpersonal therapy

People are angry, desperate, and ready to toss their hope. Interpersonal therapy helps such people to talk about their anger without the feeling of guilt. It is like getting out whatever is in their chest out and not reacting to it in a bad way.

How Psychotherapy Works

It is more like a talk from a listening and caring person. The process can take a year or more, depending on the intensity of the problem. During each session, the therapist will tackle a specific issue. A session typically lasts between 45 minutes and an hour, either one or two times a week. The entire program is carefully structured.

The session can be with an individual, couples, or a group of people with a common problem. The overall goal is to convince the client to let go of the bad past and embrace the present. It is about listening more and taking time before reacting. Once the therapist is satisfied with the progress of a client, he/she will cease the session but keep in contact with them. It is also important to note that therapy does not always work.

If you have been grappling with the question of how does psychotherapy work, you have your answer. You also know the various types and what may be suitable for you.

--

--

Featured Story

Today’s Featured Story aggregated from sources all over the World & Medium.