Psychotherapy
(Wiki)
An approach
designed to better one's mental state of health through dialogue and
interaction, psychotherapy is a cornerstone treatment for most psychiatric and psychological disorders. Primarily the
therapy comprises of talking and reasoning but
often includes written exercises or real life
situations. Practitioners need not be clinically
qualified but are required in many states to be
certified and licenced following basic training in their
field.
There are many different types of psychotherapy, each with drawbacks and benefits;
the main fields are (extremely briefly) described below.
Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy (Wiki)
A form of
therapy that promotes acceptance and
tolerance, this approach removes irritations in life,
thus promoting well-being.
Adlerian therapy (Wiki)
An umbrella term
for any approach to psychology and/or psychotherapy that is related to the ideas of Alfred
Adler.
Analytical psychology (Wiki)
This form
of psychotherapy aims to connect one to one's deep
seated instincts and feelings.
Art Therapy (Wiki)
A form of
expressive therapy that uses creative studies to promote
mood and well-being.
Autogenic training (Wiki)
A deep
relaxation technique wherein patients are taught to relax
physically and psychologically; it is primarily used to
combat stress induced psychosomatic
disorders.
Behaviour therapy (Wiki)
Based on the
principals of classical conditioning, this
therapy relies on behaviour and how behaviour
alters given altered stimuli.
Biodynamic psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Bioenergetic analysis (Wiki)
A body
orientated therapy that relies on physical movements and
expression as an extension of one's
psyche.
Bionomic psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Biosynthesis (Wiki)
A chemically
driven therapy relying on supplements and
foodstuffs.
Brief therapy (Wiki)
Focusing on
specific problems and direct intervention, brief
therapy is an umbrella term for many forms
of psychotherapy.
Classical Adlerian Psychotherapy (Wiki)
Patients are
encouraged to focus their insecurities into, via a
respectful Socratic dialogue, positive social interaction
through the challenging of mistaken feelings et
al.
Co-Counselling (Wiki)
A form of
tit-for-tat therapy, patients exchange problems and rely
on each other to help provide relief.
Cognitive analytic psychotherapy (Wiki)
Developed
by Anthony Ryle in the context of constructing
a therapy that would be easily deliverable via
the UK NHS.
It focuses on the discovery of the cause of distortions
and directly challenging them. Typically the patient
submits to 16 sessions, the first 4 to 6 being used by
the psychotherapist to gather
information.
Cognitive behavioural psychotherapy (Wiki)
Based on thought
processes and logical assumptions, cognitive
behavioural psychotherapy focuses on belief structures. It
enjoys great attention at this tine and is proven
against many psychiatric illnesses.
Concentrative movement therapy (Wiki)
Teaching that
life is split into two essences - sensation and experience
- CMT is interested in the conscious perception of the
here-and-now.
Contemplative Psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Conversational Model (The) (Wiki)
No current
data
Core process psychotherapy (Wiki)
Focusing on a
Buddhist practice, this therapy establishes a healing relationship
between the psychotherapist and the
patient.
Daseins analytic psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Dance therapy (Wiki)
A form of
therapy that relies on the use of movement and
motion for it's therapeutic effect.
Depth Psychology (Wiki)
A blanket term
for any form of psychotherapy that focuses on the deep seated
factors of the human psyche.
Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (Wiki)
No current
data
Dialectical behavior therapy (Wiki)
Designed
specifically for the treatment of Borderline Personality
Disorder, DBT focuses on behavioural theories as well as
cognitive ideals.
Drama therapy (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy that relies on the creative form of
theatre and acting to emotionally address faults or
distortions.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
(Wiki)
An evidence
based treatment that requires confrontation and reasoning
over all else.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) (Wiki)
EFT focuses on
holding an unpleasant thought or memory in mind whilst
physically tapping one's fingers over 12 specific points on
the body thought to promote one's aura.
Encounter groups (Wiki)
A form of
group therapy that challenges personal held
beliefs.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
(Wiki)
An exercise
designed to mimic eye movements that naturally occur during
REM (Rapid-Eye-Movement) sleep that is thought to relieve
the symptoms of post-traumatic stress
disorder.
Existential therapy (Wiki)
Based on the
belief that human beings are alone in the world, this form
of psychotherapy encourages creativity in order to fill
the void.
Existential reprogramming (Wiki)
No current
data
Expressive therapy (Wiki)
Any
therapy that is reliant upon a form of
creative arts, such as art therapy, dance therapy and poetry therapy.
Family systems therapy (Wiki)
A system of
emotional structuring reliant upon the interpersonal
relationships within one's family.
Feminist therapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Focusing (Wiki)
A method
of therapy designed to focus oneself on the
immediate time and situation.
Freudian psychotherapy (Wiki)
A form of
therapy designed to address the unconscious
mind in order to tackle conscious
problems.
Gestalt Therapy (Wiki)
Focussed on the
here-and-now immediate timeframe, Gestalt Theory aims to
help patients deal with life one step at a
time.
Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapy (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy based entirely on Gestalt
Theory.
Group therapy (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy whereby patients meet in small groups
along with a therapist or therapists in order to tackle
problems together.
Holotropic Breathwork (Wiki)
An unusual form
of psychotherapy whereby patients deliberately
hyperventilate in order to access usually non-conscious
facets of one's mind.
Humanistic psychology (Wiki)
Humanistic
psychology is a practice whereby development is taken
primarily into account.
Human givens psychotherapy (Wiki)
Basically this
interpretation of psychological reality is focused around
base desires and pre-programmed traits and how we interact
with them on a conscious and sub-conscious
level.
Hypnotherapy (Wiki)
When a patient
enters into a hypnotic trance, it is believed that they
become more suggestive and receptive to concepts in the
surrounding world.
IBP Integrative Body Psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Integrative Psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Internal Family Systems Model (Wiki)
A fusion of
family orientated therapies and concepts of
sub-personalities.
Interpersonal therapy (Wiki)
This is based on
the belief that psychological disorders occur as a direct
result of communication problems.
Jungian psychotherapy (Wiki)
A form of
psychoanalysis and therapy based on the idea that one's psyche
can be deduced through art, wisdom and
dreams.
Lifespan Integration (Wiki)
No current
data
Logotherapy (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy
that focuses on the reasons
and purpose behind one's life.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
(Wiki)
No current
data
Method of Levels (MOL) (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy designed to re-shift one's focus from
petty problems onto the bigger picture - a cliché, but
true nonetheless.
Multicultural Counseling and Therapy (MCT)
(Wiki)
No current
data
Multimodal Therapy (Wiki)
This approach
establishes that humans are biological beings first,
constructed out of particular senses - feel, imagine,
interact and so on.
Music therapy (Wiki)
A form of
therapy that relies on the use of musical
composition and examination for it's therapeutic
effect.
Narrative Therapy (Wiki)
By narrating
one's life, through writing in particular, it is hoped that
one can analyse and confront one's distortions
naturally.
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) (Wiki)
No current
data
Object relations theory (Wiki)
This form
of therapy focuses on the idea that one's ego
exists only in relation to other internal or external
objects.
Pastoral counselling/therapy (Wiki)
A branch
of psychotherapy administered by religious leaders and
figureheads, either with spiritual boosts or with a
further understanding of life
philosophies.
Person-centered psychotherapy (Wiki)
Essentially a
form of counselling rather than a form of
psychotherapy, person-centred psychotherapy relies on a relationship between
patient and therapist to expose problems and to address
them intimately.
Personal construct psychology (PCP) (Wiki)
This form
of therapy
sports the belief that one
may explore one's mind intricately with minimal guidance
from a therapist.
Play therapy (Wiki)
Here, recreation
(especially in young children) is monitored and manipulated
in order to assess and manipulate one's
psyche.
Positive psychotherapy (Wiki)
A psychodynamic
approach to psychotherapy that has it's roots firmly planted in
humanistic theories.
Postural Integration (Wiki)
An empowering
theory, Postural Integration focuses on making the patient
more aware of themselves and their presence in order to
empower and reassure their minds.
Primal integration (Wiki)
Considered to be
mainly humanistic, this approach to psychotherapy encourages patients to explore their
own minds with minimal guidance from a
therapist.
Process Oriented Psychology (Wiki)
This
therapy emphasises feelings of presence and
courage.
Primal therapy (Wiki)
Here the most
primal, basic instincts and feelings are fed and
nurtured.
Provocative Therapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Psychedelic psychotherapy (Wiki)
A form of
therapy conducted under the influence of
psychedelic drugs.
Psychoanalysis (Wiki)
The pioneering
work of Sigmund Freud. Here, the subconscious is probed for
influences over the conscious mind.
Psychodrama (Wiki)
An exploration
of one's psyche via theatre and acting; it is typically
performed in a group environment.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy (Wiki)
Any mixture
and/or range of psychotherapeutic treatments that entail
regular meetings between the patient and the
therapist.
Psychological astrology (Wiki)
A hybrid
of psychotherapy and astrology, psychological astrology
uses hororscopes and astrology to gain insight into
one's state of psyche.
Psycho-organic analysis (Wiki)
No current
data
Psychosynthesis (Wiki)
An introduction
(synthesis) of particular functions and/or ideals that
contribute towards a healthier self.
Pulsing (bodywork) (Wiki)
No current data
Radix therapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)
(Wiki)
A cognitive
approach to psychotherapy, this method assumes that humans
possess rational and irrational tendencies which can be
weeded and tended for much like a
garden.
Re-evaluation Counseling (Wiki)
The world's
mainstream core of co-counselling.
Reprogramming (Wiki)
Therapy via biological
manipulation.
Reality therapy (Wiki)
Here the present
and the future is focussed on in place of the past,
allowing patients to rid themselves of nasty images from
the past.
Reichian psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Rogersian (or Rogerian) psychotherapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Rolfing (Wiki)
Also known as
Structural Integration.
SHEN Therapy (Wiki)
No current
data
Social Therapy (Wiki)
A
therapy enacted through every day
life.
Solution focused brief therapy (Wiki)
As opposed to
problem solving, patients in this case are encouraged to
establish positive goals, leaving problems
behind.
Sophia analysis (Wiki)
No current
data
Self Relationship (or Sponsorship) (Wiki)
A quest to
cultivate the emotional fortitude to love and give in
life.
Systemic Therapy (Wiki)
Also known as
marriage or family therapy.
Systematic desensitization (Wiki)
Primarily used
to overcome phobias, this therapy is a form of Pavlovian theory - the
goal is for the patient to become accustomed to certain
situations via a process of confrontation and
adaptation.
T Groups (Wiki)
No current
data
Transactional analysis (TA) (Wiki)
A theory of
psychology that infers that there are three
"ego states" - the parent, the adult and the
child, all of which are inter-linked.
Transpersonal psychology (Wiki)
A form of
psychotherapy that focuses on spirituality to
address mood and well-being.
Twelve-step programs (Wiki)
An Alcoholics
Anonymous program.