Psychotherapy is a psychological intervention designed to help people struggling with emotional, behavioral, and/or interpersonal problems. There are over 500 brands of psychotherapy available today. The professionals that practice psychotherapy can range from social workers to clinical psychologists, and while many have advanced degrees, there is no evidence to support a difference in success based on level of education. Along with the variety of psychotherapists, the ways to approach psychotherapy vary. Three of the primary approaches to psychotherapy are the cognitive, humanistic, and behavioral approaches. Psychotherapists following the cognitive approach believe that cognitions influence behavior. Cognitions refer to thinking and can
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Unlike in the cognitive approach, humanistic psychotherapists stress the importance of living fully in the present and developing a sense of empathy. One form of humanistic psychotherapy is Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy aims to integrate different aspects of personality into a unified self. Gestalt therapy focuses on awareness, acceptance, and expression of feelings. A common technique that humanistic psychotherapists utilizing Gestalt therapy use is the two-chair technique, where therapists ask the patient to move from chair to chair, conversing with the two conflicting aspects of their personality. A second kind of humanistic psychotherapy, person-centered therapy, involves the patients directing the therapy session to focus on their own goals and problems. However, the effectiveness of person-centered therapy is controversial. While some believe that person-centered therapy results in substantial improvement, others believe that it may not help more than a placebo treatment. Although person-centered therapy has proven to be more effective than no treatment, in most cases cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy are much more
Unlike in the cognitive approach, humanistic psychotherapists stress the importance of living fully in the present and developing a sense of empathy. One form of humanistic psychotherapy is Gestalt therapy. Gestalt therapy aims to integrate different aspects of personality into a unified self. Gestalt therapy focuses on awareness, acceptance, and expression of feelings. A common technique that humanistic psychotherapists utilizing Gestalt therapy use is the two-chair technique, where therapists ask the patient to move from chair to chair, conversing with the two conflicting aspects of their personality. A second kind of humanistic psychotherapy, person-centered therapy, involves the patients directing the therapy session to focus on their own goals and problems. However, the effectiveness of person-centered therapy is controversial. While some believe that person-centered therapy results in substantial improvement, others believe that it may not help more than a placebo treatment. Although person-centered therapy has proven to be more effective than no treatment, in most cases cognitive and behavioral psychotherapy are much more