What is therapy? The best place to start my blogging adventure would be to answer some of the questions I had when I first discovered the world of therapy, but before we begin - just a reminder - I am a UK counsellor, psychotherapist and Mental Health Recovery worker. My blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, medical treatment, or therapy. Please seek the advice of your own physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding any mental health symptom or medical condition.
So, when someone says that they are a therapist, what do they mean? A quick search for the definition of therapy reveals that it is the treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.
In physical therapy, the goal is to heal the body; in speech therapy, the focus is on communication; massage therapy reduces pain. For counsellors and psychotherapists like me, therapy is a treatment aimed at relieving emotional distress and mental health problems.
What do I mean when I say counselling and psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy and counselling are closely linked and share many features,
with the terms often being used interchangeably. However, there are distinctions. Counselling
is often short-term (6-12 weeks seems to be common), while psychotherapy can be
thought of as more of a long-term process.
Counselling usually focuses on a current
issue, for example, bereavement counselling following the loss of a loved one,
or support dealing with a relationship break-up or health diagnosis. Psychotherapy on the other hand looks deeper at
long-held patterns of thought and behaviour, perhaps helping address low
self-esteem or anger issues for example.
Coaching has a very different focus, style and training path to counselling and psychotherapy.
Unlike psychologists and psychiatrists, counsellors, psychotherapists and coaches do not yet have a protected title, and the service is still unregulated in the UK (although there are voluntary registers). I am sharing my understanding of counselling and psychotherapy, but until we have clear regulations in the field, this is always up for debate depending on whom you talk to.
There are many different types of therapy within this which we can take a look at in a moment. However, they are all often referred to as talking therapies, and all aim to:
provide a safe space to talk to someone trained, professional and non-judgmental
help people make sense of things and understand themselves and others better
help people explore and resolve complicated feelings or find ways to live with them
help people recognise unhelpful patterns in the way they think or act and find ways to change them (if they want to).
On my social media, I will be using the hashtag #catday to help explain
the different types of therapy in an easy-to-understand and hopefully fun way. International Cat Day is a celebration which takes
place on 8 August every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund
for Animal Welfare to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and
protect them. This seemed fitting to me,
partly because of the link to how therapy can help raise our own self-awareness
but also because I love to play with symbolism (the subject of a later blog,
I’m sure!). The cat symbolises rebirth and resurrection (just think of their nine lives!). They capture a spirit of curiosity, patience, and grace. I liken this to therapy in that there
is often a period of re-discovering elements of the self that were once hidden or tucked
safely away. Therapy can offer a chance to start afresh if handled with care - but - I digress.
The development of psychological
understanding
Before we explore the types of therapy, let me first take you on a brief tour of how
we got to this point.
The development of
psychological understanding can be thought of in three historical forces, with
integration as a fourth force, striving to find ways different approaches can
complement rather than contradict each other (Dryden and Mytton, 2016).
The first force, in 1896, was Freud’s
psychoanalytical theory, which asserted that the unconscious was responsible
for human behaviour. The second force, in 1938, was behaviourism, proposing that
human behaviour was dictated by the environment and included the work of Skinner
and Watson. Ellis and Beck later expanded this in the development of
cognitive-behaviour therapy (Green & Piel, 2015).
Out of dissatisfaction with the deterministic perspective of psychoanalysis and
behaviourism, Abraham Maslow developed the humanistic approach in the 1950s.
This offered a holistic perspective, viewing human behaviour as positive and
resourceful. Humanism is best known through the work of Carl Rogers and Person-Centred
Therapy (Green & Piel, 2015).
Types of therapy
There are many ways of working in counselling and psychotherapy, and therapists
may be trained in one or more approaches. Many therapists (like me) use training and techniques
from different types of therapy if they think these would help a client. For me, the foundation of all counselling and psychotherapy is rooted in the
person-centred approach to therapy, so that is where I will begin…
Person-centred therapy
Person or client-centred therapy is
based on the view that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth
and change, given the right conditions. Rather than being seen as the expert
and directing the therapy, the counsellor offers unconditional positive regard,
empathy and congruence to help you come to terms with any negative feelings and
to change and develop in your own way.
Psychoanalysis
This is based on
the work of Sigmund Freud, who believed that psychological problems are rooted
in the unconscious mind. Experiences from a person’s past can influence
thoughts, emotions and behaviour in later life. The analyst will encourage you
to talk about your experiences and use techniques such as free association or
dream analysis to identify repressed feelings or conflicts that are affecting
you now. Bringing these to the front of your mind allows any negative feelings
to be dealt with. This can be a lengthy and intensive process and is often used
by clients suffering high levels of distress. (BACP, 2023).
Psychodynamic
psychotherapy
The psychodynamic approach is derived
from psychoanalysis but focuses on immediate problems to provide a quicker
solution. It stresses the importance of the unconscious and past experience in
shaping current behaviour. A therapist will aim to build an accepting and
trusting relationship, encouraging you to talk about your childhood
relationships with your parents and other significant people. It also uses
similar techniques to psychotherapy, including free association, interpretation
and especially transference, where feelings you experienced in previous significant
relationships are projected onto the therapist. (BACP, 2023).
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
CBT aims to help
you change the way you think (cognitive) and what you do (behaviour). Rather
than looking at past causes, it focuses on current problems and practical
solutions to help you feel better now.
The way we think about situations affects the way we feel and behave. If we view a situation negatively, we may experience negative emotions and feelings, which lead us to behave in an unhelpful way. Your therapist will help you identify and challenge any negative thinking so you can deal with situations better and behave in a more positive way. CBT can be helpful for depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessions, eating disorders and managing long-term conditions. (BACP, 2023).
Want to know more? There are many more
(over 400, in fact) types of therapy. If
you are interested in learning more about the different types of therapy, then
the BACP have an excellent resource entitled Types of therapy: An A-Z of
therapeutic approaches, which you can access from: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/
P.S: If there are any questions you would like me to address, please do let me know. In the meantime, why not follow me on my socials?
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Sources
BACP (2023) Types of therapy: An A-Z of therapeutic approaches [Online].
Available at: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/
Dryden, W. and Mytton, J. (2016) Four Approaches to Counselling and Psychotherapy. (1st edn) [ebook version]. London: Taylor and Francis.
Green, M. and Piel, J. (2015) Theories of Human Development. (2nd edn) [ebook version] London: Taylor and Francis.
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