Therapeutic Approaches
How to know which therapeutic approach might be right for you.
One of the questions many clients ask is ‘what do these approaches even mean’? Unless you’re trained in an approach or perhaps have been in therapy before, learning about these approaches and then basing your healing journey on this information can be daunting. So, to help you get the basics, I’ve put together information from a number of sources on the different kinds of therapeutic modalities that I work with and where they have been shown to be effective.
Something to keep in mind is that, even if a therapist favours one or two frameworks/approaches/modalities in their work, most will practice from an integrative approach - drawing from various modalities based on the needs of the client. Also, research shows, more than anything else, that a trusting relationship between you and your therapist is the main factor contributing to therapeutic success.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural theory stems from the idea that people are characterized by how they think about the world - that the way they think and interpret events leads to emotional responses. Goals of CBT include 1) the promotion of self-awareness and emotional intelligence by helping clients to “read” their emotions; 2) to distinguish healthy from unhealthy feelings and 3) helping clients understand how distorted perceptions and thoughts contribute to painful feelings. CBT is an evidence based therapy with years of research supporting its efficacy for many different psychological concerns (Hembree et. al, 2003).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. ACT develops psychological flexibility and is a form of behavioural therapy that combines mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance. By recognizing and addressing these challenges, individuals can become better able to make room for values-based actions that support well-being. Using the principles of ACT, clients work towards living a life of values rather than reaching finite goals which is key when working with people going through life transitions (https://www.actmindfully.com.au/).
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (MBCBT)
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an approach to psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioural therapy methods in collaboration with mindfulness and meditative practices. It was originally created to address recurrent depression but MBCBT is also beneficial for people seeking treatment for a wide range of mental health concerns. It can help people better understand and manage their thoughts and emotions in order to achieve feelings of calm and less stress. Mindfulness can help us learn to respond to situations rather than react to them thus creating better outcomes in our daily interactions (www.goodtherapy.com).
Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT)
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) helps those who struggle with the shame and self-criticism that can result from early experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients to cultivate skills in compassion and self-compassion, which can help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. The technique is similar to MBCT and has been shown to effectively treat long-term emotional problems including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, hoarding disorder, and psychosis by addressing patterns of shame and self-criticism, which can significantly contribute to mental health issues (www.psychologytoday.com).
Solution Focussed=Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) concentrates on finding solutions in the present time and exploring a client’s hope for the future to find quicker resolutions to their concerns. As the name suggests, SFBT is future-focused, goal-directed, and focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek therapy. This type of therapy works well for clarification and understanding on where we are now and where we want to go without delving into our past history (https://solutionfocused.net/).
Clinical Hypnosis
Hypnotherapy is guided hypnosis, or a trance-like state of focus and concentration achieved with the help of a clinical hypnotherapist. This trance-like state is similar to being completely absorbed in a book, movie, music, or even one's own thoughts or meditations and is very different from what we know as hypnosis for entertainment. In this state, clients can turn their attention completely inward to find and utilize the natural resources deep within themselves that can help them make changes or regain control in certain areas of their life. Hypnotherapy can be used to treat anxiety, phobias, substance abuse including tobacco, sexual dysfunction, undesirable spontaneous behaviors, and bad habits (https://hypnosis.bc.ca/).
Multicultural and Social Justice Framework
Using this framework we acknowledge that issues that arise for minority groups, such as oppression, racism, and marginalization, are relevant and recognized. Though race, ethnicity, religion, gender identification, income, disability, or other social factor falls outside of the majority is acknowledged, the therapist is careful not to fall into stereotypes and brush every person with the same broad stroke and puts more emphasis on individualism than in some traditional therapy settings that take a more universal approach. Multicultural therapy is a form of talk therapy, but it may be combined with therapies that involve other activities, such as art or music (Zaker & Boostanipoor, 2016).
Trauma Informed Therapy
Trauma-informed care recognizes the impact of experiences that threaten a person’s sense of safety and wellbeing. Counsellors using this approach are aware of the complex impact of trauma (any perceived trauma) on a person’s suffering and how it shapes a person’s efforts to cope. A trauma-informed approach integrates a thorough knowledge of this impact into every aspect of treatment. It also means that any person or organization that works with this perspective makes emotional and psychological safety a priority for the people they serve. Trauma isn’t about the event itself but the impact that the event has had on the individual (https://brickelandassociates.com/).
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy is a form of counselling that views people as separate from their problems. This allows clients to get some distance from the issue to see how it might actually be helping them, or protecting them, more than it is hurting them. With this new perspective, individuals feel more empowered to make changes in their thought patterns and behaviour and “rewrite” their life story for a future that reflects who they are, what they are capable of, and what their purpose is, separate from their problems. Those who define themselves by their problems, whose lives are dominated by such feelings as “I am a depressed person” or “I am an anxious person” can learn to see their problem as something they have but not something that identifies who they are (https://narrativetherapycentre.com/).
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an interactive psychotherapy technique used to relieve psychological stress. It is an effective treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During EMDR therapy sessions, you relive traumatic or triggering experiences in brief doses while the therapist directs your eye movements. EMDR is thought to be effective because recalling distressing events is often less emotionally upsetting when your attention is diverted. This allows you to be exposed to the memories or thoughts without having a strong psychological response. Over time, this technique is believed to lessen the impact that the memories or thoughts have on you (https://www.healthline.com/health/emdr-therapy).
Somatic Experiencing
The Somatic Experiencing (SE) method is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. The SE approach releases traumatic shock, which is key to transforming PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early developmental attachment trauma. The Somatic Experiencing approach facilitates the completion of self-protective motor responses and the release of thwarted survival energy bound in the body, thus addressing the root cause of trauma symptoms. This is approached by gently guiding clients to develop increasing tolerance for difficult bodily sensations and suppressed emotions (https://traumahealing.org/).
For a more comprehensive list and detailed description of these and many more types of therapeutic approaches you can check out these sites:
Also Read: Preparing for online sessions