If you’ve never had therapy before, the terminology can be overwhelming. Look on any counselling site you will see a plethora of different types of therapy mentioned. But what are they all? And which one is right for you?
Here is a short guide to choosing the right therapy for you.
Person-centred counselling
Person centred therapy involves sitting in a warm, non-judgemental space and talking about your feelings and problems. Person-centred therapists believe that given the right conditions, clients will find the answer to their problems. They do this by providing empathy, congruency and unconditional positive regard. Put in other words a person-centred therapist will listen without judgement, try and be as honest with you as possible, and do their best to understand your thoughts and feelings. Acceptance and empathy are key, and simply “being heard” is considered central to the healing process. Because it puts you and your own understanding of yourself at the centre, it’s often a great starting point – even if you’re not yet sure exactly what you need.
Psychodynamic counselling
Dating back to the first originator Freud, psychodynamic counselling may look very similar to person-centred counselling but follows slightly different theories. Also a talk therapy, psychodynamic counsellors believe that allowing people to talk will allow what is in the unconscious mind to become conscious. They also tend to be slightly more analytical in their approach, and may look at things such as transference – reacting to one person as though they were another person, and other defence mechanisms, such as denial and repression. Though following different theories, psychodynamic counselling and person-centred counselling can be very similar in practice, with plenty of overlap between the two.
CBT (or cognitive behavioural therapy)
CBT focuses more on thoughts, and particularly on ‘negative automatic thoughts’. It believes we hold certain beliefs that are unhelpful to us and by challenging those beliefs we can move ourselves to a better place. Unlike person-centred counsellors and psychodynamic counsellors above, a CBT counsellor will likely give worksheets and homework in order to help their client break free of negative beliefs.
CBT is available in the NHS, and, though it is not everybody’s cup of tea, may be worth trying for anybody who feels private counselling is too expensive for them.
Integrative therapy
An integrative therapist tends to use a mixture of these therapies depending on what their client wants and needs. If you feel like you would like to try more than one of these approaches, integrative therapy is what you need. Remember, whichever therapy you choose you are in charge, and you can always ask to switch if something isn’t working for you.
Gestalt, DBT, ACT etc.
Different theories and therapies abound. Some people try all of them, and some feel very uncomfortable with all but a few. ACT focuses on accepting your thoughts and feelings, DBT helps those struggling with intense emotions, and Gestalt focuses on present-moment awareness.
Choosing therapy is about choosing what is right for you in that particular moment, but remember there are no real ‘wrong’ answers. Whatever approach you choose is likely to move you forward into a deeper understanding of yourself, and more important than any theory is that you feel comfortable with the person you have chosen.