Did you know that psychotherapy is much older than counselling? Psychotherapy can be traced back to the 1800s.
Many people believe that modern-day psychotherapy was founded by a neurologist named Sigmund Freud. But the truth is, psychotherapy has had its roots way before Freud. Freud brought the study of psychotherapy forward and contributed to it.
Table of Contents
1. Understanding Psychotherapy
2. Approaches and Modalities in Psychotherapy?
2.1 Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
2.1 Person Centered Therapy (PCT)
2.2 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
2.3 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
2.4 Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapies
2.5 Interpersonal Psychotherapy
2.6 Supportive Psychotherapy
3. Conclusion
Understanding Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a method of therapy that is used to treat people with a broad range of mental and emotional difficulties. It is also known as talk therapy. Psychotherapy aims to help people who struggle with problematic mental health situations to understand their feelings and face present and future challenges [1].
Psychotherapy is similar to counselling, which is why many people tend to confuse the two as the same. However, psychotherapy tends to look more deeply into underlying, sedimented issues, which may be contributing to current, acute and/or chronic situations. Counselling, on the other hand, tends to address the “here and now”, immediate concerns, and acute situations [2].
As mentioned above, psychotherapy has had its roots even before Freud. The foundation of psychotherapy was formulated by a Viennese physician, Josef Breuer. While treating a patient known as Anna O., Breuer came up with a talking cure to treat nervous disorders. He then collaborated with Freud to further study modern talk therapy [7].
Following the groundwork set by Breuer, Freud continued to study psychotherapy and was led to the development of psychodynamic and psychoanalysis therapy, which happens to be the core of many counselling practices today. Counselling actually stems from psychotherapy, but the name “counselling” did not exist until the 1960s [7].
It’s important to note that a psychotherapist can counsel, but a counsellor not trained in psychotherapy cannot do psychotherapy. And there are different types of psychotherapy, with each its unique approach [8].
Psychotherapists may combine elements from different approaches to give their clients the best treatment. Some psychotherapy sessions are short. But depending on the individual’s needs, their sessions may last for months or years [6].
Approaches and Modalities in Psychotherapy
1) Person Centered Therapy (PCT)
Created by Carl Rogers, PCT is a Humanistic approach that is centered on the fact that people are essentially experts of themselves, and are guided by their experiences in life [4].
The person-centred counsellor is not an expert; rather the client is seen as an expert on themselves and the person-centred counsellor encourages the client to explore and understand themselves and their troubles.
Mary-Claire Wilson
2) Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps people to identify harmful thinking and behaviour patterns and replace them with more accurate thoughts and functional behaviours. It can help treat disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating and trauma-related disorders [2].
3) Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
This therapy is a type of CBT that helps to regulate emotion. It teaches people skills to change unhealthy or disruptive behaviour by using personal responsibility. This method is often used to treat people with chronic suicidal thoughts, people with personality or eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [6].
4) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
This method is used to help people become aware of their thoughts and feelings and use them to make positive changes. It helps to increase people’s ability to cope and adjust to situations [6].
5) Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Therapies
People’s past experiences can severely impact their current thoughts and behaviours. These therapy methods are used to increase awareness of unconscious thoughts and behaviours so that people can develop new insights, resolve problems, and have more control of their lives [2] [6].
6) Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Interpersonal psychotherapy is used to understand how people relate to others. It focuses on improving interpersonal skills to address relationship problems [2] [6].
7) Supportive Psychotherapy
This method uses guidance and encouragement to reinforce people’s ability to cope with difficult situations. It helps to build their self-esteem, strengthen their coping mechanisms and improve their social and community functioning [6].
Conclusion
All in all, psychotherapy can help people cope with various stress and problematic mental health situations. It is a form of therapy that aims to explore the root cause of problems and trauma to ensure long-lasting, long-term change and improvement, instead of finding short-term solutions. It also helps to improve emotions and behaviours by linking the brain and body to positive changes.
The psychotherapy experience is different for everyone. The time it takes to see an improvement and the type of psychotherapy methods used vary as it depends on every individual’s needs.
To get started with psychotherapy, engage with a qualified and experienced professional. This is because having a trusting relationship between the client and the therapist is essential to the process.
Therefore, if you have any questions about psychotherapy or would like to get started, contact us or make an appointment with us now. To find out more about our services, click here.
References
[1] American Psychiatric Association. (2019, January). What is Psychotherapy?
https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/psychotherapy
[2] Brazier, Y. (2020, September 30). What is psychotherapy? Medical News Today.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156433
[3] Counselling Directory. (n.d.). The history of counselling. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from
https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/history.html
[4] Counselling Directory. (n.d.). Person-Centred Therapy. Retrieved July 26, 2021 from https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/person-centred-therapy.html
[5] Counsellor Tutor Ltd. (2019, May 8). A Brief History of Counselling •. Counselling Tutor.
https://counsellingtutor.com/history-of-counselling/
[6] Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, March 17). Psychotherapy – Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/psychotherapy/about/pac-20384616
[7] Sandhu, P. (2015, June 30). Step Aside, Freud: Josef Breuer Is the True Father of Modern
Psychotherapy. Scientific American Blog Network.
[8] Schimelpfening, N. (2020, December 24). What’s the Difference Between a Counselor and a Psychotherapist? Verywell Mind. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/counselor-or-psychotherapist-1067401
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