Helping multiples and their loved ones to remember the music
| Types of Therapy |
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As therapy becomes a more and more accepted way of resolving problems, the definition of whta therapy actually is get murkier and murkier. One of the clearest ways to work out what a prospective therapist does is to find out what "type" of therapist they class themself as. Below is a list we have compiled of some of the most common types of therapy. Be aware that many therapists may use multiple types of therapy or may recommend you work with multiple therapists for exposure to various types of therapy. Some therapists also recommend physical therapy and bodywork. While these can be helpful be very careful about doing this too early on in your therapy before you have established good system communication and a proper safety net. This list is only a basic overview. For more detailed information about a specific type, browse the information in our resources area or email us with your questions and we will try to find the answers for you. Art Therapy Use of art and creativity as a way to get at deeper feelings and greater self-knowledge. Based on the belief that accessing the more creative or right-brain part of us is helpful in identifying what is going on emotionally and can be a part of the healing process. (Personal Note: We think this is a vital part of DID treatment as it allows those insiders who cannot or will not speak to express themselves adn is incredibly helpful in explaining aspects of DID to singleton therapists. ) Behavioral Founded on the belief that true change and movement towards goals is accomplished through action and that disorders are learned ways of behaving that are maladaptive. If we can learn to change our behavior, then our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes will also change. Common behavioral techniques include systematic desensitization (gradual exposure to an anxiety-provoking situation paired with relaxation), using reinforcements for desired behaviors, and aversion therapy to extinguish unwanted behaviors. Biomedical Treatment Medication alone or the combination of medication and psychotherapy. May also use techniques such as biofeedback therapy. Christian/Bible-Based Counseling is founded on what is written in the Bible. Based on the belief that Scripture is the final authority for what kinds of decisions a person should make or how they should live their life. Client-Centered Clients are believed to be in the best position to resolve their issues if the therapist can establish a warm, accepting, and safe environment in which the individual feels free to talk about his/her issues and can gain insight into them. This type of therapy is non-directive because the therapist typically does not give advice or make interpretations. Founder: Carl Rogers (1902-1987) who believed that people are trustworthy and have a great potential for self-awareness and self-directed growth given a nurturing environment. The function of the therapist is to be genuine, accepting, and empathic. Techniques are seen as less important. Cognitive Therapy is based on the belief that faulty thinking patterns and belief systems cause psychological problems and that changing our thoughts improves our mental and emotional health and results in changes in behavior. See works by Aaron T. Beck. Couples Therapy Discussion and Problem Solving Facilitation with the therapist, together and individually. This type of therapy helps change behavior patterns which contribute to the issues and educate everyone involved about what the issues actually are, helping to disple misinformation which leads to misunderstandings. Dream Analysis Process of determining the meanings of dreams through symbols, myths, free association, and memories. There are a variety of philosophies and approaches for analyzing dreams including Adlerian (dreams are projections of a person's current concerns), Gestalt (every person and object in a dream represents an aspect of the dreamer), and psychoanalytic (dreams are a key to what is happening in a person's unconscious). EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing) Technique of restructuring thought patterns and associations related to traumatic events and memories and other sources of emotional distress. Method was developed by Francine Shapiro when she discovered that rapid-eye movements combined with focusing on disturbing thoughts and memories produced a calming effect. Existential A philosophy of life, rather than a specific therapy, which focuses on free will, responsibility for choices, and search for meaning and purpose through suffering, love, and work. People are seen as constantly changing and becoming their true selves. Searching within and finding one's own answers is encouraged. Emphasis is on the present and future, not the past. See works by Viktor Frankl (b.1905), Rollo May (b.1909), and Irvin Yalom. Family Systems Therapy which looks at the entire family as a complex system having its own language, roles, rules, beliefs, needs, and patterns. Each family member plays a part in the system and family systems therapy helps an individual discover how their family operated, their role in the system, and how it affects them in their current family and in relationships outside the family. Feminist Therapy A therapy which focuses on empowering women and helping women discover how to break free from some of the traditional molds that they may feel are blocking their growth and development. Feminist therapy tends to be more focused on strengthening women in areas such as communication, assertiveness, self-esteem, and relationships. Gestalt Experiential therapy emphasizing what is happening in the here and now to help individuals become more self-aware and learn responsibility for and integration of thoughts, feelings, and actions. A goal is to develop more internal vs. external support. Techniques include confrontation, role playing, and the empty-chair or dialogue between two parts of a personality. Founder: Frederick S. (Fritz) Perls (1893-1970) who believed that people must find their own way in life and accept responsibility for who they are to reach maturity. Group Therapy This type of therapy involves interactions between a group of usually 4-12 people with similar problems and a therapist. Humanistic This theory's a little like Jimmy Buffet's chorus in Margaritaville. You can say that there's someone else to blame for all your life problems, but really, you know it's your own damn fault. In humanistic theory, the patient is an individual, responsible for their own choices in life, regardless of their upbringing, their parenting, or their socialization. This theory promotes individualism, the person as a whole, and deals with some of the greater mysteries of life, such as, "Why are we here?" Humanistic therapy is more philosophical in nature than other theories, and the therapist acts as a guide through the patient's discovery of self and their role in the world around them. Hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy is a state of physical and mental relaxation that enables the subconscious mind to be more receptive to positive suggestions. This allows physical and emotional problems to be addressed and resolved so that mind and body functions can be improved or restored to normal activity. Jungian (Analytical Psychology) The focus of therapy is to help individuals access more of their inner world (unconscious) and develop greater self-realization and individuation. Carl. G. Jung's theory is psychoanalytic, but differs from traditional Freudian theory in that Jung added the concepts of individuation (human potential), which includes transcendence and spirituality. People are seen in a positive light and therapy considers the "soul" which seeks to be nurtured by something larger than the self. Online Therapy Not an entirely seperate form of therapy exactly, online therapy makes use of the ther types of therapy but in an online setting. This has been controversial but is beginning to gain acceptance. It has some advantages over traditional therapy, such as being more convenient and easing embarassment or shame over what is being said which can develop in face to face consultation. It is however not good for people with no other outside support as crisis intervention is much more difficult. Play Therapy Geared toward young children and young insiders, this technique uses a variety of activities such as painting, puppets, dolls and dioramas to establish communication with the therapist to resolve problems. (Personal Note: We think this is a vital part of DID treatment and helping littles to heal) Psychoanalytic Based on the belief that true change and growth comes from an individual becoming more self-aware by bringing unconscious thoughts, motivations, feelings, and experiences into the conscious so that behavior is based more on reality than instinct. Founder: Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). Key concepts are that behavior is determined by unconscious motivations, irrational forces, instinctual drives, and psychosexual events occurring during the first 6 years of life. Classical psychoanalysis is an intensive and long term process with a focus on transference (transferring feelings about and reactions to past significant others onto the therapist) and uncovering unconscious material. RET (Rational Emotive Therapy) Based on the belief that our emotions result from our beliefs, interpretations, and reactions to life events. A type of cognitive therapy based more on thinking and doing than with the expression of feelings. Founder: Albert Ellis (b.1913) is known as the father of RET and the grandfather of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Self Psychology Based on the Freudian and Jungian depth psychology. Heinz Kohut, its founder, postulated that narcissism and grandiosity in the infant is healthily managed by selfobject experiences which can be idealizing, mirroring, or twinning experiencs. He felt that these selfobject experiences continue throughout development and life. The essence of therapy arises from empathic understanding within the therapeutic frame and that healing results from temporary disruptions in this empathic stance in the therapist. Solutions-Focused Solution-focused treatment begins from the observation that most psychological problems are present only intermittently. People with panic disorder obviously do not spend every minute of every day in a panic; even depression fluctuates in severity. Solution-focused therapy tries to help the patient notice when symptoms are diminished or absent and use this knowledge as a foundation for recovery. If a patient insists that the symptoms are constant and unrelieved, the therapist works with him or her to find exceptions and make the exceptions more frequent, predictable, and controllable. In other words, therapy builds on working solutions already available to the patient. TA (Transactional Analysis) Interactions with others and communication styles are seen as coming from three states: the parent, adult, and child and the different types of ways those three parts of our personality communicate within ourselves and with others. See works by Eric Berne. |
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