Common Approaches Used by Therapists

While living a routine life, an average human being comes across incidents that make his life difficult. Most of these incidents affect our mental health and result in depression, anxiety or other psychological problems. And these are often the underlying factors that cause major crimes like the Virginia Tech shooting. Successful treatment of these mental health issues is very essential for the whole society rather than just for the affected individual. Let’s see some common approaches therapists adopt to solve such problems.

One of the most famous types is Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic therapy, though it is often misunderstood by many. Some often refer to this as talk therapy, as the clients typically talk about their problems and life history, while the therapist listens and makes notes which he can later use to diagnose the problem. The hypothesis behind this practice is that childhood activities and the subconscious mind may have something that’s causing psychological problem. So the focus is on finding incidents and events in the patient’s life that may be responsible for his abnormal behavior.

Like all other things in our world, psychoanalytic theory has had its share of criticism. Many opine that this type of therapy is costly, takes a lot of time and often ineffective. However, it allows patients to burst open and tell stories that they have been hiding inside for years. Sharing these personal accounts, weeping a bit over them, and getting a pat on the back by a therapist relieves the burden from the patient’s mind.

Another major type is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), where the therapist seeks to find faulty cognitions that are resulting in maladaptive behavior. The hypothesis behind CBT is that our beliefs and way of thinking bring us psychological problems. So therapists who choose CBT seek to change the thinking and conceptions of their patients, which is highly effective in treating phobias where misconceptions become deep-rooted in our minds through continuous reinforcements.

Finally, we will touch upon group therapy, which is becoming popular day by day due to its numerous advantages over other forms. A number of patients collaborate with one or more therapists to form a support group, and each member helps each other and shares stories. Because of group sessions, this method costs significantly less than individual sessions. When people suffering from similar issues join together, they get rid of the loneliness that often accompanies psychological problems. And the social interaction and mutual support of members encourages patients to exercise new behaviors and adopt new perceptions.