Different Types of Mental Health Therapy
I’m not sure about the rest of you, but when I first got into the field of psychology, I was overwhelmed with all of the information I had to learn about the different types of mental health therapies that are used (Depression Therapy: How Psychotherapy for Depression Works). I had always thought that the counseling process was much simpler; you had a problem, you went to a counselor for help, you laid on a couch while they asked you a lot of questions, and then, voile, after a number of sessions you were done.
However, there I sat in one of my first classes with words and terms, such as client-centered, CBT, or eclectic approach, being thrown at me and I had no idea what they were talking about. Turns out that there is much more to the counseling process than many might think. Not only are there different types of mental health therapy, but some methods work better in certain cases than others. Who knew?
Treatment program: Lauren Hardy M.A., writes on behalf Rebound Behavioral Health which offers short term mental health and substance abuse recovery in a private, confidential treatment center. Rebound Behavioral Health's inpatient services are for adults 18 and older who need help overcoming a variety of emotional and behavioral problems.
Below I highlight a few of the most common therapy treatment modalities that are used but, just to be clear, there are many more modalities available today.
Common Types of Therapy for Mental Health
There are large number of different therapeutic techniques, some of which have been around for many years, while others have more recently been developed. While each method uses different approaches, they all share a common goal of trying to help the clients change; to help clients grow and to alleviate any problems that have brought them to counseling (Types of Bipolar Disorder Therapy and How Bipolar Therapy Helps). Some of these common treatment methodologies are explained below:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT was designed to go deep into the client’s underlying thought process in order to better understand how their thoughts affect their behavior. The purpose of this form of therapy is to change the thought processes therefore changing negative behavior. Therapists who use this approach often incorporate techniques such as role playing and journaling in order to help the patient get some insight into his or her thoughts.
Behavior Modification Therapy
Similar to cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior modification is used by therapists as a way to correct negative behavior. The purpose of this method is to teach the client new behaviors that will essentially replace negative behaviors, such as substance abuse, that has led to a number of issues in the individual’s life.
Patient-Centered Therapy
A number of counselors choose to use a patient-centered approach to therapy, which allows clients to be in control of their sessions. In this setting, they can work through their issues with interventions from the counselor. Counselors who use this approach believe that the patient knows him or herself best, and is therefore better able to work through his or her own problems when given the right circumstances.
Solution-Focused Therapy
This type of therapy focuses on what clients want to get through their therapy sessions instead of looking into the problems that made them seek treatment. Solution-focused therapy focuses on the present and future instead of looking into the past.
Eclectic Therapy
There are a large number of therapists that use an eclectic approach in sessions because this allows them to tailor the method being used to best fit each client’s particular needs. During sessions, a therapist will typically use a number of different approaches and techniques throughout the course of treatment. This type of approach is beneficial because it provides the patient and the therapist with the flexibility of being able to use multiple approaches.
The methods that you may come across in mental health treatment is going to depend upon the type of program you are in, the preference of your counselor, and the type of mental health disorder you are struggling with.
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APA Reference
Hardy, L.
(2014, October 6). Different Types of Mental Health Therapy, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, November 2 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/mentalhealthtreatmentcircle/2014/10/different-types-of-mental-health-therapy
Author: Lauren Hardy, MA
can anyone comment on whether it is ok for my son to be prescribed 3 anti-psychotics at the same time?
The most fit to use method of psychotherapy is behavioral-cognitive therapy (BCT), because it it helps to correct conduct disorder through changing inappropriate thoughts, which ones give rise to interpersonal misunderstandings and conflicts, as well. For instance, role playing thechnique helps bringing patient to sense of oneself mistake behave. So, patient through better relationship set can function more adaptive in daily life. In the end, this type of psychotherapy improve mental health welfare of patient with intended mental disorder. Surely, others types of psychotherapy are available in current Service of Mental Health, which ones contribute to manage complex psychiatric treatment of huge number of patient with psychiatric illnesses. However, it ought to know that psycho-therapeutic approach is in correlation with others form of psychiatric treatment such are pharmacologic and socio-therapeutic interventions. This holistic manner of psychiatric treatment is the best way to recover any patient with mental difficulties.
I wanted to note you have "patient centered" as one of several approaches to treatment. All therapy should be "patient-centered." Even if a client is referred to therapy by manditory efforts, ethics demand that the client is in control of his or her therapy to as much a degree as possible. If a client comes to therapy unaware of reality, once stabilization is within reach and the client can communicate in any sense of understanding, his or her desires and goals must become the focus of treatment. I've experienced so many therapists abuse their power and training to push their ideals and expectations onto their clients, causing them harm and damaging their already fragile identity and self-esteem. Self-improvement is a highly individual choice that should be nurtured based on what the client seeks for his or her life. The therapeutic relationship is to be a team approach with the therapist asking and listening to what the client's goals, wants and needs are and working with the client to meet them. The therapist recommends options and treatment methods according to his or her training and speaks their concerns or ideas as relevant, yet it is the choice of the client to say yes or no, try it or not.