Therapy is one of the most effective ways you can deal with mental and physical problems. However, there are different types of therapies, each using a different technique and approach to help with your situation. Additionally, some therapists now offer online therapy to complement their in-person services. However, as you read through the different types of therapy, you’ll see that there’s a limited amount of therapies that could actually be used for online therapy sessions.
Some of those therapies help you deal with specific mental and physical conditions, but some are holistic. Some of the different types of therapy include:
- Animal Assisted Therapy
- Gestalt Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Humanistic Therapy
Animal Assisted Therapy
Also known as pet therapy, animal-assisted therapy is a form of therapy that uses animals to help you deal with some mental and physical health problems. Depending on your condition and the therapy you need, there are different animals you can use.
Animal Assisted therapy involves handlers or people who own the animal used in the therapy. The handlers bring their pets to every session and work under a professional to help you gain the desired results.
Before the treatment begins, the animal must be free of pests and diseases, and one way to do that is to immunize it. It must also complete an obedience training and instructional course to ensure proper interaction with the patient.
The animal and the handler also have to undergo regular examinations to evaluate their behaviors around each other. Your specific needs will determine the breed, type, age, and size of the animal you will get to help you.
What is Animal Assisted Therapy best used for?
- Providing comfort and help reduce pain levels
- Developing behavioral and social skills
- Improving motor or movement skills
- Increasing your motivation for activities like exercising
- Reducing boredom, provide companionship and minimize loneliness
- Improving your general well-being and improve your mood
Who can benefit from Animal Therapy?
Both adults and children can benefit from Animal Assisted Therapy. It can help treat a variety of conditions that you may suffering from including
- Children undergoing dental procedures. There has been an increase in the number of dentists who have brought in their furry bundles of love to help kids overcome their fear of the dentists and dental procedures.
- Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
- People staying in long-term care facilities.
- Anyone undergoing cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
- People undergoing physical therapy to help them regain their motor skills.
- Patients suffering from chronic cardiovascular diseases.
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Dementia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Epilepsy.
- Postoperative recovery
- Heart failure
- Pain associated with cancer treatment
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt means whole, and the principle guiding this form of therapy views human beings as whole entities consisting of the body, soul, and mind. It helps you connect all the three entities of yourself.
Gestalt therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on enabling you to connect with what is happening in your life presently. It also assists in stopping relating everything that is happening to you with your past experiences.
Instead of talking about your experience, one of the approaches used in gestalt therapy is to encourage you to experience those moments again through re-enactment. The therapist asks you to try and re-live that moment and explain how it feels right now.
That makes you more aware of how your negative thoughts and behaviors make you unhappy and block your self-awareness. Some other techniques used along with gestalt therapy are dance, bodywork, drama, and art. Gestalt therapy uses some of the following techniques during treatment:
- Role-playing: You have to act in two different and opposite capacities. In one capacity you will act like the more submissive and obedient part of you, while the other is the more aggressive one. That helps you identify with everything you feel.
- Empty chair: The therapist uses an empty chair, which is the other part of you, then express whatever it is you feel about the experience.
- Words and language: This approach helps you use your words to express exactly how you feel.
- Body language: Sometimes, it may be hard to say what you feel, and the therapist could tell you to try and show them using your actions.
When is Gestalt Therapy used?
Therapists use gestalt therapy mainly to help deal with unresolved pain, anger, resentment, anxiety, and other negative feelings related to a past experience. That is why the therapist asks you to re-enact the experience say what it feels like. It also helps you with the following:
- Have better self-control
- Get a better emotional understanding
- Understand your needs better
- Regulate and monitor a person’s mental state
- Handle negative emotions better
- Better your communication skills
Who can benefit from Gestalt Therapy?
It mainly helps people who are having trouble letting go of some events that happened in their past. Some of those events may have caused them emotional, psychological, or physical harm.
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Relationship problems
- Low self-efficacy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral therapy, or CBT for short, is a short-term therapy used to help with mental health issues. It mainly focuses on dealing with problematic thoughts and unhelpful thought patterns.
This therapy uses the idea that some beliefs or feelings you hold about yourself or some situations could cause you distress and later mental health problems.
In this therapy, you work towards identifying your thought patterns and recognizing how they may negatively affect you. Your therapist will then help you replace those negative thoughts with positive and more helpful ones.
Unlike Gestalt therapy, CBT does not address past events and how they affect you now. However, it helps you make changes that will help you in the future. It mainly involves homework and practice that your therapist needs you to do outside the office. It’s also one of the popular types of therapy used for online sessions. There are different ways in which therapists conduct CBT. Some of these types of therapy practices include:
Dialectical behavioral therapy: this approach focuses on emotional regulation and acceptance. It helps you accept difficult emotions and gives you the skills to deal with them.
Rational emotive therapy: This enables you to master how to challenge irrational beliefs, which result in emotional distress.
When is CBT used?
Therapists use CBT in the following situations or when you need help with any of the following:
- Want to face your fears
- Understand other people’s emotions and behaviors
- Want to develop more confidence in yourself
- Want to cope with loss
- Are avoiding relapses from a mental illness
Who can benefit from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
- People who have a hard time facing their fears
- Those who want to solve conflicts in their relationships and learn better communication skills
- People who want better ways to manage their emotions
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sexual disorders
- Eating disorders
- PTSD
- Schizophrenia
- Phobias
- Substance use disorder
- Sleep disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Bipolar disorders
Hypnotherapy
Also called guided hypnosis, this form of therapy uses extreme concentration and relaxation to help you achieve a state of heightened mindfulness or consciousness. Your therapist also uses mental images and verbal repetition.
Under hypnosis, you feel relaxed and calm, which makes you open to suggestions, but you still have control over your behaviors.
When is Hypnotherapy used?
Therapists use this therapy mainly when you need someone to guide you out of some behaviors. That is because, under hypnosis, you will view situations differently than you normally would.
Who can benefit from Hypnotherapy?
- People struggling to quit an addiction
- Women in menopause
- People who have lost a loved one
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Sleep disorders
- Phobias
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Addiction
- PTSD
- Grief over losing someone close
- Pain
- Hot flashes
- Side effects of cancer treatment
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Developed from psychoanalysis, this form of therapy is a long-term way to deal with mental health issues. It is one of the oldest types of therapy used, and it emphasizes the psychological causes of your suffering.
During this therapy, you are free to talk about everything that is on your mind. That helps uncover some thought patterns and behaviors responsible for the distress you experience.
Your therapist helps you develop and explore how your unconscious mind and behaviors are related.
When is Psychodynamic Psychotherapy used?
Therapists use it mainly when there is a deeper psychological cause to some of the physical and mental disorders you are going through.
Who can benefit from Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
It is best for people who have long-term mental health issues related to some childhood experiences. Some include nail-biting, skin picking, or obsessive hand washing that resulted from a traumatic childhood event.
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Substance use disorder
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Somatic symptoms
- Eating disorders
Humanistic Therapy
This therapy focuses on how your worldview impacts your choices, especially those that result in distress. The idea behind this therapy is that you are the only one who understands what you need. It helps you get a better understanding of what you are going through.
The therapist offers you support and guidance without interfering with how you feel. That means that they accept you even though they do not agree with some things you say. It helps you be your true self and live your best life.
When is Humanistic Therapy used?
Therapists use humanistic therapy mainly when you feel like you have no meaning in life. It helps you get your reassurance of who you are and makes you feel better about yourself.
Who can benefit from Humanistic Therapy?
You will benefit most from this therapy if you are struggling to cope with the negative perceptions and judgments that people have about you.
Disorders and issues best suited for this type of therapy
- Those with relationship issues
- Low self-esteem and feeling worthless
- Substance use disorder
- Depression
- Hardships in coping with chronic health issues
Know the Different Types of Therapy Available
Understanding the different types of therapy and how they are used to effectively treat mental health and other conditions is just as important as getting the help itself. You don’t want to spend money on resources that have not been proven.
If you are currently looking for a therapist, check out our online list of therapy sites.