Deciding you’re ready to go to therapy is a huge first step. It is worth taking a moment to honor this decision because it is one that will likely change your life. However, the steps to finding the therapy you need can be rather daunting. In
particular, choosing the right kind of therapy for you can be an exhausting battle.
There are many different types of therapy, and the kind you need is dependent upon what you’re hoping to heal within yourself. This article will explain
how you can choose the best type of therapy for your needs.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Therapy for You
Choosing the right kind of therapy for yourself is crucial in meeting your therapeutic goals, which gets you to feel better faster. Also, therapy can be very expensive.
Getting clear on the right therapy for you can save you time and money.
There are many different reasons why you may be seeking out therapy. Of course, seeking therapy is a good idea if you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, but that's not a requirement. You could be experiencing interpersonal problems, healing from
trauma, trying to get sober, or need extra support for a stressful event in your life. Or, perhaps you’re experiencing all of the above.
Regardless, understanding why you’re ready to go to therapy will help you identify what type of therapy you need.
How Do I Know What Kind of Therapy I Need?
Folks often turn to therapy when they’re feeling overwhelmed and burdened by their emotions. Having to decide exactly what you need from the experience can lead to even more distress. It is completely normal to feel stressed and it is OK if you don’t know what kind of therapy you need.
It is completely normal to feel stressed and it is OK if you don’t know what kind of therapy you need.
Think About the Things You Want to Work On
Consider writing down the top three things you’d like to work on in therapy. For example, maybe it is the loss of a parent, the stress of beginning a new job, and generally feeling anxious on a daily basis. This would translate into you
seeking support for grief, stress, and anxiety.
You can then search online for therapists who specialize in any of those areas and book a consultation with them. You might want to use an online therapy directory, which is essentially a virtual phonebook for
therapists, if you would like to choose your own provider.
During the consultation, you can ask them what kind of therapy they practice and why it would be a good fit for you. Mental health professionals don’t expect clients to be experts
and are happy to provide some insight into what they do.
Or, you could sign up for an online therapy service, which usually matches you with a therapist based on information you provide when signing up. Many online therapy companies offer a wide range of
therapists who specialize in different things, while some offer treatment for specific conditions like anxiety and depression. The latter can be especially helpful if you know for sure that you need treatment for a particular mental health issue.
Different Types of Therapy
There are many different types of therapy, which can make the process of choosing the right modality even more tiring. Worry not! Below you'll find information about three popular treatment modalities.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular structured and goal-oriented talk therapy approach that has proven efficacy in treating many mental health ailments, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, and
personality disorders.
CBT is a straightforward approach that focuses on identifying and changing one’s negative or unhelpful thoughts, inaccurate perceptions of self and others, and harmful underlying beliefs. It is considered a short-term therapy, with
treatment typically lasting between three to four months.
If you are looking for highly structured therapy sessions that focus on the here and now and on solving problems that are currently impeding your day-to-day functioning, cognitive therapy could be a good fit.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy is a form of talk therapy that focuses on the history and unconscious processes of the client, as well as the relationship between the client and the therapist. In this treatment, it is believed that many of people's beliefs regarding themselves and others are unconscious and shaped by both their childhood and genetics.
In psychodynamic therapy, the client's past experiences are explored and their unconscious thoughts and feelings are brought to light and discussed. By doing this, the client gains insight into the roots of their current behaviors and emotions and how to address and process them moving forward.
A psychodynamic therapist will use information gathered from how the client feels towards the therapist and how the therapist feels towards the client to guide the treatment. Utilizing the therapeutic relationship in this way offers rich material—it allows the therapist to consider how others may perceive the client outside of the therapy room, which can give deeper insight into their presenting problems.
The end goal of psychodynamic therapy is to support the client in decreasing their symptoms and increasing their sense of authenticity and uniqueness.
If you are feeling as though you have some unresolved feelings or experiences from your past that you would like to explore, psychodynamic therapy might be right for you.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy is a treatment that is growing in popularity, involving the client's body as well as their brain. Often suggested for the treatment of trauma, somatic therapy can refer to modalities such as somatic experiencing, eye movement
desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and brainspotting.
Somatic experiencing is built on the belief that the body stores the stress and memory of traumatic events, and it targets the bodily sensations associated with the traumatic experience.4 By consciously digging up and experiencing those
physical sensations, somatic experiencing helps clients process and release their trauma.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) utilizes bilateral stimulation, which is a series of eye movements, sounds, or tapping that stimulates both sides of the brain, to help folks process their trauma. The idea is that the
back-and-forth eye movements combined with consciously recalling the traumatic event reduce the emotional impact of the memory.5
Brainspotting uses an individual’s visual field as a mode of processing trauma and incorporates one’s memory, emotions, and sensations associated with the traumatic event.6 Like other somatic methods, brainspotting is based on the concept
that trauma gets "stuck" in the body, as well as specifically in the part of the brain in charge of learning, emotions, and consciousness. Brainspotting focuses on rooting out those stuck responses without having to make the client "relive" the trauma.
If you are currently dealing with the impact of a traumatic experience, somatic therapy might be your best bet.
What If I'm in Therapy and Want to Try Something New?
You could be working with a therapist already and might doubt if their treatment technique is right for you. That is completely normal.
Let your therapist know that this is a concern of yours. Part of a therapist’s role is to provide insight into the therapeutic process and support you in finding healing. It could be that you are receiving the right form of therapy for you but haven't progressed far along enough in treatment to see great improvement. Or, you could realize together that the type of therapy you've been receiving is not what you actually need at that time.
It's Always OK to Make a Change
You could also be in the depths of a treatment that is great for you, but your therapist may not be the best match. Or, you may discover that you’d like to try a different treatment modality altogether. Each of these things is normal, and there is no shame in making changes to your treatment.
A Word From Us
There are a few things that may be helpful to keep in mind as you traverse your healing journey. First, you can always try a session or two out with a therapist to see if their style or technique is the right fit for you.
You can always change providers as well. Finding a therapist is your journey, and it can be healing to exercise your autonomy and make adjustments along the way. Don't get discouraged if it takes time to find the "right" therapist for you.
It's a process, and not every therapist will be a good fit.
