What Kind of Therapy Is Best for Me?

Oftentimes, one of the hardest steps when it comes to taking care of your mental health is making the decision to start therapy. But if you’re wondering, “How do I figure out what kind of therapist I need?” then you’re not alone.

Psychotherapy is not a one-size-fits-all approach to treating mental health conditions. If you've ever thought about trying therapy, you've probably noticed that there are many different therapy types available. The type of therapy that will work best for you depends on various factors, including your symptoms, needs, and goals, as well as your individual preferences.

Therapy, generally, is based on methods like talking, listening, and engaging in other forms of expression. These methods might change, though, depending on which type of psychotherapy you go for. In fact, many therapists combine different strategies, depending on your therapy goals as well as their training and experience.

Which type of therapy you pursue is often a personal choice.

There is no “best” type of therapy that applies to everyone. Knowing more about different types of psychotherapy could help you explore your options and get a better idea of what to look for.

There are many types of therapy. To help you understand a bit more, I’ve outlined some of the most common therapeutic approaches.

What are the most common types of therapy?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) a type of therapy that helps people identify distorted, unhelpful thoughts that adversely affect emotions and behaviors. After identifying these patterns, people can challenge them and develop more adaptive ones. CBT is often described as the gold standard of psychotherapy given the amount of research support it has.

How It Works

During CBT, people work with their therapist to figure out which types of distorted thoughts are contributing to their current problems. It is a guided self-discovery process that requires introspection and discussion. While it can be challenging and uncomfortable sometimes, it can also be a great way to gain personal insights that help fuel future growth.

Once such patterns have been explored, a therapist will then help the individual find better ways of approaching the problem. This involves actively disputing the negative thoughts that arise from the situation and replacing them with more realistic, helpful, or positive ones.

The main goal of CBT is to promote self-awareness. This is based on the concept that you might not be able to change your life’s particular circumstances, but you can switch your perception of and reaction to them.

CBT encourages your active participation and collaboration in the treatment process. This is why it will often include homework.

This means that you’ll set certain goals and practice some exercises for the days between sessions. You’ll then discuss your experiences with your therapist.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that incorporates acceptance, mindfulness, and emotion regulation strategies.

How It Works

DBT sessions are focused on balancing between acceptance and change. A therapist will help the individual practice strategies such as mindfulness to help people stay more focused on the present moment.  DBT also utilizes distress tolerance techniques such as self-soothing or physical strategies to help people manage strong emotions. Other important parts of DBT focus on interpersonal effectiveness (making and maintaining relationships) and emotional regulation (not being overwhelmed by strong emotions in the face of triggers).

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of CBT that focuses on helping people learn to accept their thoughts and feelings and commit to goals that support their values in life.

How It Works

ACT utilizes six important processes to help people improve their psychological flexibility, including the way they react to problems and their own emotions. These involve:

• Identifying your values - what are the values by which you want to live your life?

• Committed action - actively pursue and embody those values

• Self as context - observing your physical and emotional sensations in any situation

• Cognitive diffusion - separating yourself from your thoughts and emotions

• Allowing yourself to accept your thoughts and emotions without trying to change them

• Connecting with the present moment to help stay engaged and aware

Eclectic therapy

An eclectic approach to psychotherapy will draw techniques and goals from different types of psychotherapy. It’s also referred to as multimodal therapy.

The main focus of an eclectic therapy is to be flexible and adapt to the needs and goals of the person in therapy.

This doesn’t mean your therapist doesn’t have a clear therapeutic orientation. They often do. But they also adopt therapeutic methods from other approaches to respond to specific needs.

Eclectic therapy can work for all types of concerns and needs. It’s important, however, to make sure your eclectic therapist is well trained in all the methods they’ll try with you.

This type of therapy can be done in the long term or short term, depending on your goals and needs.

Other Types of Therapy to Consider

In addition to some of the best-known and most frequently used types of therapy, there are a wide variety of other approaches that are often used to treat certain conditions or mental health concerns.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR treatment uses bilateral (left-right) eye movement stimulation to help people process and recover from the impact of traumatic memories. Research suggests that EMDR can help reduce the pain and emotional effects of those memories.

Attachment therapy helps people understand how their earliest bonds with caregivers impact their relationships in adulthood. This approach can be helpful for people who experience abuse, neglect, trauma, or other difficult childhood experiences. The idea is to help adults get in touch with their inner child to heal wounds and hurts that continue to affect a person in the present.

Mindfulness- based cognitive therapy (MBCT) combines CBT with mindfulness to help people become more aware of their thoughts and feelings. This approach helps people become more self-aware, gain mental clarity, and let go of negative thoughts. 

Exposure therapy is a behavioral approach that has people face their fears in order to gradually reduce feelings of anxiety. It can be an effective treatment for panic disorder, phobias, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and aspects of PTSD.

Solution- focused brief therapy focuses on finding solutions to a person's current problems. It centers around helping people use their strengths and motivations to figure out how to handle different situations.

Somatic therapy is a nervous system approach to treating PTSD and other conditions. It incorporates breathwork, meditation, mind-body exercises, and talk therapy.

Strength- based therapy is an approach based on positive psychology that helps people recognize their strengths, build resilience and enhance their sense of self-efficacy. 

How to choose your therapy type

When deciding what type of therapy to pursue, there are several things to keep in mind:

• What type of concern(s) do you want to address?

• Is this a recent concern or have you been dealing with it for a long time?

• Have you received a previous diagnosis or do you want to focus on everyday challenges?

• Do you want to understand your emotions and behaviors or focus on changing them?

You don’t have to commit to one approach or therapy from the beginning.

You may want to consider setting up consultations with a few therapists. That way, you’ll be able to talk about what you feel you need and hear how they would approach it.

I always recommend looking at a therapist’s credentials and type of training they received. It’s also important to understand that you may not have rapport with a specific therapist but you may find it with another one working from the same approach.