What is Psychotherapy? - The Argyle Institute Blog

Psychotherapy is a treatment intended to ease psychological suffering or difficulty. It can be used by anyone: A child, an adolescent or an adult who wants to make significant changes in his or her life to feel better. It can involve helping the person to make changes in their thoughts, behaviour, emotions or habits, to find answers to his or her questions, make difficult choices or better understand or cope with a difficult situation.

There are a multitude of reasons on why people decide to seek the assistance of a psychotherapist

You’re feeling depressed. Depression is more than just sadness. People with depression may experience a lack of interest and pleasure in daily activities, significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or excessive sleeping, lack of energy, inability to concentrate, unexpected mood swings, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide. Depression is the most common mental disorder. Fortunately, depression is treatable. A combination of therapy and antidepressant medication can help ensure recovery.
You’re having harmful thoughts, i.e., suicidal thoughts or self-harm. If you’re actively thinking of hurting yourself, seek help right away through the Canada Suicide Prevention Service, or 1-833-456-4566, available 24/7.
You’re undergoing a big change, e.g., a new job, a new family or moving to a new city. New ventures are challenging, therapy will help you develop skills and strategies to reduce or manage life stressors.
You’re feeling isolated or alone.
You’re using a substance to cope with issues in your life. Drug or alcohol addictions are medical conditions and evidenced based treatment exists to assist people in achieving their goals.
You suspect you might have a serious mental health condition. Symptoms of severe nervousness, apathy, or intrusive thoughts may be indications of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
You are experiencing symptoms of ADHD. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a behavioral condition that makes focusing on everyday requests and routines challenging. People with ADHD typically have trouble getting organized, staying focused, making realistic plans, and thinking before acting. They may be fidgety, noisy, and unable to adapt to changing situations. Children with ADHD can be defiant, socially inept, or aggressive.
You feel like you’ve lost control or experiencing anxiety problems.
You’re going through personal crisis, e.g., bereavement, difficulty in accepting a loss, a difficult break-up, or failure at work or having financial problems.
Your relationships feel strained. Individual or couple therapy can be a benefit if you are having difficulties in your family, marital, friends, or work relationships.
You’re experiencing fears, traumas, or childhood disorders. Various types of psychotherapy exist to get to the root of the problem.
You are having emotional problems and just feel like you need to talk to someone.

If you have an inclination that you might need to speak with someone, do it. Therapy is a perfectly normal and valuable experience that works to many people’s benefit.

What happens in Psychotherapy?

The first step in the process is the initial assessment. It allows you and the psychotherapist to identify:

your needs
your expectations regarding psychotherapy
your strengths and difficulties
the nature and origin of the problem
what has happened in your life to lead you to consult
your goals for psychotherapy.

The assessment meeting will also allow you to find out more about the psychotherapist and his/her approach.
There are many different styles of therapy, but the psychotherapist will work with the individual to identify the best approach to address the person’s problem and that it fits the patient’s characteristics and preferences.

What are the theoretical approaches?

There are five main theoretical approaches. Most psychotherapists use more than one.

1. Psychodynamic-analytical Approach

DEFINITION: This therapy explores the unconscious mind and how it influences our thoughts and behaviors. This approach draws connections between clients’ present difficulties, their past experiences, and repressed or unresolved conflicts in their personal histories. Clients are led over time to become aware of the influence of these conflicts on their current functioning, so to understand them and gradually break free of their influence. It is based on the principle that, at times, human beings manifest a set of unconscious conflicts which originate in their pasts, especially during childhood. Clients are typically encouraged to speak freely in sessions about anything that comes to mind, i.e., fears, desires, dreams, etc. The therapist’s role is to help the client understand how their repressed earlier emotions are affecting current decision-making, behaviour, and relationships. Clients learn to analyze and resolve their issues, so to change their behaviour in current relationships through deep exploration and analysis of earlier experiences and emotions. This type of therapy tends to extend over a longer period of time.

TREATMENT OF: Psychoanalytic therapy helps treat childhood traumas, phobias, depression, and other psychological issues, especially in those who feel that they have lost meaning in their lives or those who have difficulty in their relationships with others. It has also been used to help people with addictions, social anxiety disorder, eating disorders, borderline personality disorder, and more.

INFLUENCED BY: The original founders of this approach were Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung

2. Systemic-interactional Approach

DEFINTION: The systemic approach (also known as family systems therapy) is based on the premise that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that individual behavior is heavily influenced by the important relationships in our lives. In this approach, personal problems are thought of as arising and continuing due to the interactions between people and those around them (i.e., Family, friends, colleagues, etc.). The goal of systemic-interactional therapy is to modify the relationships between clients and those in their lives. Often, this will involve meetings between the psychotherapist and important people in the client’s life. With couples and families, everyone will be encouraged to attend sessions so that the dynamics can be observed by the therapist and all members are actively involved in working through the problems. The therapist works with everyone in the couple or family to understand roles, patterns, concerns and will remain a neutral source of guidance throughout the therapy. Usually, the therapy focuses, above all, on the “index patient”. That is to say, on the member of the family who presents some type of clinical disorder or problematic behavior. The goal is to improve the relationship itself and the communicative style. Also, it seeks to fix the complex interactions which tarnish the cohesion of this group of people.

TREATMENT OF: This approach is versatile and can be used to treat a variety of problems including family conflict, couples and individual issues with concerns related to their family. It can help with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, personality disorders, addiction, eating disorders, disabilities, issues related to gender and gender identity, etc. The approach goes beyond focusing on an individual and works with all members of the family.

INFLUENCED BY: This approach was developed in the early 1950’s by Dr. Murray Bowen, however, other prominent figures in the development of family therapy include Dr. Salvador Minuchin, Dr. Virginia Satir, and Dr. Carl Whitaker.

3. Cognitive-Behavioural Approach

DEFINITION: In this approach, psychological difficulties are related to unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. Cognitive-behavioral therapies are based on understanding the way people think (cognitive approach) and the way they behave (behavioral approach). Psychotherapists use various techniques and strategies, (e.g., problem solving, skill training, cognitive restructuring, etc.), to help their clients to modify their behaviours, thoughts, and emotions. Cognitive behavioural therapy is time-limited and problem focused, therefore, you will likely have a set number of sessions designed to work on specific goals in therapy. The interventions focus mostly on the present with less importance given to the past.

TREATMENT OF: Cognitive behavioural therapy has been used to treat mild forms of depression and anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, insomnia, tic, and habit disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. Obsessive compulsive disorder, major depression, psychotic disorder, and bipolar disorder can be treated; however, it is typically done in combination with medication.

INFLUENCED BY: It was pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck.

4. Existential-Humanistic Approach

DEFINITION: According to the existential-humanist approach, human beings have within themselves what they need to realize their potential. Humanist psychotherapists work on the present moment, on their clients’ ability to take stock of their current difficulties, understand them, and change their ways of being or acting. They help their clients believe in their own potential and make changes in their own lives. It enables us to be active agents of change. Humanistic therapists believe in the goodness of human beings. The role of the therapist is to provide empathy and listen attentively to the client and be non-judgemental. Interventions in this approach will typically involve assessing the client’s ideal self (i.e., the person they wish to be), the real self (i.e., who they feel they are), and the incongruence between the two. The focus is the present, rather than looking at the past and analyzing how it influences the present.

TREATMENT OF: This approach has been used in treating depression, anxiety, panic disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, addiction, low self-esteem, treating relationship and family issues, and people looking for personal meaning in their lives.

INFLUENCED BY: This approach was mainly influenced by Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, and Rollo May, Viktor Frankl and Erich Fromm.

5. Inter-generative or Holistic Approach

DEFINITION: Integrative psychotherapy is an approach to healing and easing life’s problems by increasing one’s resilience and personal resources. It incorporates the fundamental principles of traditional psychotherapy and holistic medicine to promote healing on all levels: emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual. It enables patients to manage stress and create a healthy lifestyle. It draws on multiple type of therapeutic approaches (psychodynamic, client-centered, behaviorist, cognitive, family therapy, Gestalt therapy, etc.) to tailer the therapy to best meet the needs of the client.

TREATMENT OF: Since the integrative approach uses what is best for the client and their problem, this form of therapy can be useful for treating any number of psychological problems.

Sources:

“Psychotherapy- Asking the right questions” Ordre des Psychologues du Québec, June 2012, www.ordrepsy.qc.ca
American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/
“11 Very Good Reasons To Go To Therapy” by Lindsay Holmes, HuffPost 09/05/2019

What is Psychotherapy? Different Approaches to Know