Meeting with a psychotherapist or psychological counselor will help you open up, understand your mood, and internal changes. You can clarify your life goals, desires, and objectives, and improve your quality of life.
Although many people initially find it difficult to express their personal problems to others, it will be much easier to deal with problems due to the positive impact of professional therapists on matters that deeply affect your life and health. Therapy also helps emotionally relax, be heard, and receive support from an expert.
What Are the Types of Therapy?
Today, various therapies are applied, including those involving family members and groups. You can tell your psychotherapist which treatment method is best for you and how it is applied. It is much more effective to review your psychologist's thoughts on the matter rather than just choosing. Sometimes, psychotherapists may synthesize different therapeutic approaches to maximize the benefit for their clients.
The most commonly preferred types of therapy are as follows;
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: The cognitive aspect of this approach aims to create positive values and belief patterns about people's lives, and the behavioral aspect focuses on improving their ability to make healthy choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most effective approaches in treating depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders.
Interpersonal Therapy: Interpersonal therapy, which places particular importance on communication, aims to improve relationship-building skills and help people express their emotions in a healthy way. This is one of the best approaches to handling distress. The method can also be used as Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy, which is particularly effective in the treatment of bipolar disorders.
Family Therapy: Family therapy is one of the preferred approaches, especially in the treatment of eating disorders and bipolar disorders, as it emphasizes solving communication problems and conflicts between family members and strengthening their bonds.
Psychodynamic Therapy: Psychodynamic therapy is a type of therapy that helps individuals better understand the subconscious feelings and motivations that affect their thoughts and actions.
Art Therapy: Art therapy involves art forms such as music, dance, and painting, and aims to help individuals express their emotions.
Psychoeducation: Psychoeducation helps people better understand the scope of mental health and the importance of psychological well-being in life and explores ways to assist in treatment.
How Does the Therapeutic Process Work?
To gain detailed information, first, trust must be established between the psychologist and the client. These relationships may emerge during a session or may take longer than expected.
Psychotherapy cannot tolerate lies; it is harmful. Mutual trust must be established between both parties.
First, a personal analysis is made, and various tests are used. (Children, adolescents, and adults have many different test batteries.) The results of these tests are communicated to individuals. If the client is a child, the family is informed. The therapist identifies the situations in which the family will be involved. Since understanding is important during therapy sessions, the person is thoroughly informed about the obtained information, results, and which path should be taken together.
The psychologist corrects the problematic areas of the clients. After identifying their personality structure by conducting necessary tests, the appropriate psychotherapy method is chosen and shared with the client. Agreement is reached on the goals of therapy and the time required to achieve them.
Continuity in therapy is important. Do not discontinue therapy. If a person feels that they cannot agree with the therapist, they should share the situation with the therapist. This information must be communicated to the therapist because the client may inadvertently reflect conflicting relationships formed with their environment.
However, if a person no longer wishes to continue with the sessions, the therapist has the right to change due to negative interactions. It is important to share this feeling with the therapist and discuss it in the session. After this assessment, the person has the right to make a decision.
Under no circumstances should private information be passed to family members or relatives without the client's consent. Respect for confidentiality and privacy is paramount.
External factors, such as family, school, and social environment, shape this process based on age, education, and the position of the person. In children and adolescents, all these factors can be included in the treatment. In adults, depending on the situation, individuals from the neighborhood can be involved in treatment upon the client's request, based on the characteristics of social proximity.
Therapeutic sessions typically last 50 minutes, but this duration can vary with different applications. The reasons for this request are communicated according to the client's treatment method, and informed consent is obtained.
Therapy should never be interrupted. The decision to discontinue treatment should be made by the therapist and carefully assessed to determine whether the initial goals have been achieved.
