The Most Popular Types of Therapy for Mental Health

Common Types of Therapy

Have you been thinking about going to therapy? If so, you might be surprised to find there are many different avenues you can take. Today, there are a wide number of therapeutic approaches designed to address mental health challenges.

One of the most common therapy types is behavioral therapy, which helps you identify and change any behavioral patterns causing you distress. If you want to go a little deeper, psychodynamic therapy uses strategies like dream association to help you better understand your unconscious mind. You may also benefit from humanistic therapy, which will help you identify how to use your potential and unique abilities to drive positive change.

In addition to talk therapy, biological therapy helps address the brain-based factors behind your mental health. This approach uses medication and other tools to support brain function and improve your overall wellness.

Holistic options include creative therapy, which uses mediums like dance, art, and music to promote self-expression.

There are also a range of other specialized types of treatment, such as trauma-focused therapy, which helps you process and work through traumatic experiences.

As you can see, therapy is far from a one-size-fits-all solution. Let’s take a look at some of the most common types and how you can use them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy focused on changing unhealthy or unhelpful thinking patterns. It’s based on the principle that your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all interconnected, and altering how you think about and approach challenging situations can improve your mental health.

Therapists use CBT to help address mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. It’s a helpful strategy for individuals of all ages, including children. It can also help address the psychological symptoms of long-term health conditions, including fatigue and chronic pain.

CBT sessions are usually very structured. You’ll spend your time speaking directly with your therapist, so choose one who makes you feel comfortable enough to open up and share your feelings.

Learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy.

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavioral therapy is a type of talk therapy that builds on the foundation of CBT by showing you how to handle the intense emotions you feel in a distressing situation. Your therapist will show you how to control your reactions, improve your distress tolerance, and cultivate acceptance.

Originally developed for clients with borderline personality disorder, DBT is now used more widely to help individuals who struggle with emotional regulation or interpersonal relations as well as those with mental health conditions like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The word “dialectical” means balancing two concepts that are different but true. In this case, it means embracing change and improving yourself while also learning how to accept life as it occurs.

Learn more about dialectical behavior therapy.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy involves slowly introducing individuals to objects, ideas, or situations that they fear. This process is performed in a safe, controlled environment to help desensitize the individual to the stimulus and reduce the anxiety and fear associated with these scenarios. Exposure therapists can also give clients productive and healthy ways to cope beyond the avoidance behaviors they’ve been exhibiting.

Individuals with anxiety disorders may find exposure therapy useful, especially those who suffer from certain phobias, panic disorder, PTSD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Due to its confrontational nature, it may not be recommended for people with severe mental illness.

There are several different types of exposure therapy available, including in vivo or real-life exposure, virtual reality exposure, and imaginal exposure.

Learn more about exposure therapy.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps individuals understand and embrace their unique thoughts and emotions. This practice emphasizes accepting your feelings without judgment, knowing that they are all part of the human experience. Clients will learn how to stay focused on what’s happening in the present moment, rather than fixating on the negative or worrying if they’re handling the situation correctly.

ACT is useful for clients who struggle with self-doubt, anxiety, depression, or chronic stress. The psychological strength it builds can help improve mental clarity and quality of life.

Symptom reduction isn’t the ultimate goal of ACT. Instead, individuals develop mindfulness until negative reactions are seen not as symptoms, but as harmless psychological events.

Learn more about acceptance and commitment therapy.

Art Therapy

Engaging in a creative, artistic process can help individuals express themselves, explore their emotions, and process their feelings in a healing, therapeutic way. Art therapists are trained to lead clients through exercises designed to improve their cognitive skills, build their self-esteem, and strengthen their emotional resiliency. These therapists may work in several different settings including schools, senior communities, veteran centers, and private practices.

While art therapy has universal benefits, it’s particularly useful for clients who have difficulty verbally expressing themselves. This includes children with behavioral difficulties or anyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This form of therapy can be incredibly useful during times of crises, transformative change, trauma, and grief. Most art therapists hold Master-level degrees or higher.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy is a field of psychotherapy that uses hypnosis to help clients gain clearer access to their subconscious minds. A hypnotist uses special prompts to gently guide an individual into a deeply relaxed state. The sensation is akin to a soft shift in awareness, where the person is still awake and hyper-focused, but more open to suggestions. This gives the hypnotist space to encourage healthy changes in their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

In addition to treating mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, hypnotherapy can also help alleviate the symptoms of chronic health conditions ranging from insomnia to migraines. Some clients even benefit from attending sessions before a particularly stressful event, like a trip to the dentist’s office.

Aversion Therapy

If you have an unhealthy habit you haven’t been able to break through avoidance alone, then aversion therapy might work for you. This treatment pairs unwanted behaviors with negative stimuli, which helps clients gradually develop a distaste for the subject. Some of the stimuli commonly used include electric shock, unpleasant sensory experiences, or medications that induce nausea.

This type of therapy is often used to help clients who are struggling to break free from addictive or harmful practices, such as substance use or compulsive behaviors like nail biting. It can also help clients overcome certain phobias. Usually, simple habits like smoking are easier to overcome through aversion therapy than more complex psychological issues like trauma.

EMDR

In eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a therapist helps an individual work through traumatic memories while looking at an external stimulus and moving their eyes in strategic lateral movements. The idea behind this practice is that the mind can become blocked by a particularly distressing event, which renders it unable to heal itself. The procedures used in EMDR therapy can shift that block and promote healing.

First studied in clinical trials in 1989, EMDR was first developed to help individuals process extreme trauma. Now, it’s shown to help a wider range of conditions including eating disorders, PTSD, and depression. In addition to eye movements, other physical stimuli like hand-tapping or audio can also be part of EMDR.

Other considerations

How types of therapy vary for different conditions

The type of therapy that’s best for you will depend on the specific condition you want to treat. For instance, approaches like CBT focus on changing certain thoughts or behaviors while DBT shows you how to regulate your emotions and embrace new problem-solving skills.

If you’re living with a complex mental health condition like PTSD, then a more targeted approach like EMDR or hypnosis may be required.

Understanding your condition is paramount to choosing the right approach and finding a therapist who can meet your needs. As you weigh professional opinions, remember to also consider your personal needs and preferences.

Explore treatment options by mental health condition.

How treatment varies by population

To be effective, therapy must be tailored to each client’s unique life experiences and individual perspectives. For instance, veterans who have been in distressing situations may need trauma-focused therapies like CBT or EMDR to help them process and heal from what they’ve experienced.

Similarly, children or clients with special needs may also respond better to one type of therapy than another. For example, these individuals may do best with art therapy or play therapy, which is gentler in nature than aversion or avoidance therapy. These populations also require a therapist who’s specifically trained to embrace their unique abilities and challenges.

Explore special mental health programs.

Medications used in treatment

Sometimes, therapy alone isn’t enough to help an individual overcome their mental health challenges. In this case, providers may utilize FDA-approved medications to augment their approach. These may include antidepressants for people with anxiety or depression, mood-stabilizing drugs or antipsychotics for individuals with bipolar disorder, or stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Most of these medications are specially formulated to affect the neurotransmitters in your brain, such as dopamine and serotonin. Neurotransmitters transmit messages throughout your nervous system and help control your mood and behavior. Combining medications with psychotherapy can be an effective, well-rounded approach to mental health treatment.

Exploring the Most Popular Types of Therapy