Major Types of psychotherapy

As a Clinical Psychologist, Desiree is trained to undertake a comprehensive assessment and formulation of your presenting issues. Therapy will be individually tailored to your needs, and she will employ strategies from types of psychotherapy. Types of psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment are not about curing the patient of the visible or perceived clinical symptoms of the disease or abnormal functioning of the mind.

Rather psychiatric treatment is all about bringing the change in the attitude of the patient towards his understanding of his own abnormality and flaws which inflicted pain to the others.

The goal of psychotherapy

The goal of psychotherapy or psychiatric treatment is to make the patient feel sorry about his own behavior and making him resolute to mend his or her behavior or practices on the basis of this feeling. With this basic difference with other medicinal and clinical therapies, psychiatry poses as the field of most variable kinds of treatments and therapeutic procedures among which we will mention here some of the major types of psychotherapy or psychiatric treatments.

Cognitive and behavioral therapy

CBT is the gold standard treatment for a wide range of psychological issues, such as OCD, depression, and anxiety.  It combines cognitive strategies (such as changing how you think about things) and behavioral strategies (such as reducing unhelpful coping behaviors).

The aim is to help you learn healthier ways of coping with distressing thoughts, as well as to reduce unhelpful behaviors, and thus improving your quality of life.

Psychoanalysis

This is one of the few major types of psychiatric treatment which has changed the face of psychiatric treatment made it arrive at its present shape.

Psychoanalysis is the most involving and participating kind of psychotherapy which may require many years to successfully study and treat a patient.

First of all, it requires visiting the patient almost every day. A very common method is associated with psychoanalysis that is a free association, which means the patient is required to reveal everything in his mind without holding back anything from the therapist.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

This psychiatric treatment also relies on the consultation process between psychotherapists and the patient-client as in the case of psychoanalysis.

But in complete contrast to the process of psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy relies heavily on the consultation or interrogation of the therapist is talking to the patient-client.

Usually, this treatment relies on the dream interpretation or subconscious motivations behind the overall outcomes of psychiatric reality.

Psychiatry is not the kind of treatment like the curative process of modern medicine or surgery, rather it is more hypothetical and creative in nature than the treatment of other kinds and this is the reason why there can be no end to the continuous development of the science of psychotherapy with its usual bumps and ditches.

So, this introduction to the major types of psychiatric treatments is to be understood in that light.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is widely gaining recognition as an important component of psychological therapy. It stems from meditative practices and involves controlling your focus of attention.

Essentially it is about paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, with a non-judgmental stance.  The aim is to observe your thoughts and feelings rather than get caught up in them.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

DBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness and dialectics and has been shown to be effective for chronically suicidal people as well as for a range of disorders where difficulties with emotion regulation are involved such as borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders and substance abuse.

Hypnosis

There are no signs of occult magic or magical outcomes are attached to this term. In psychotherapeutic use, hypnosis is a term known as a major type of psychiatric treatment which is mainly used for bringing forth mental relaxation and rejuvenation.

Systematic desensitization

This is one of the most popular and major types of psychiatric treatments especially for various kinds of phobias. Every case of phobia is normally associated with any particular types of situations or objects or living beings or places.

Now in this type of treatment gradually with the help of the patient a hierarchical list of such tension or phobia arousing places, peoples, situations or things, the root of which are in the subconscious of the patient or in the personal history of the patient.

Now with gradual training, practice and consultation the patient is trained to feel relaxed in contact with the listed of those nervousness arousing things, places, peoples or situations. This is one of the treatment procedure which has a considerable impact on the development of psychoanalysis of various kinds of phobias.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is one of the new and major types of psychiatric treatment which uses a process called electromyography or EMG with the help of a electronic device to measure certain direct physical effects associated with the psychiatric condition of the patient, such as, perspiration, heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension, and skin temperature, etc.

With considerable training and practices with the guidance of a cognitive psychotherapist, a patient can easily manage to come to a relaxed state of mind from a tensed as well as nervous mental condition and to show the patient his regular improvement this technology can play a major role.

This biofeedback mode of cognitive psychotherapy is very expensive and useful for various kinds of nervous and hypersensitive syndromes.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

The ACT is a behavioral treatment that gets its name from one of its core messages: to accept what is out of your personal control while committing to action that is consistent with your values.

The ACT is gaining much recognition as an effective treatment for a wide range of emotional and psychological issues including anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and substance abuse. Many aspects of the ACT are used in helping self-esteem and confidence issues.