What is psychotherapy?

What is psychotherapy? Psychotherapy is sometimes referred to as the “talking cure” and is a useful process that allows patients to work on their psychological problems with the aid of a qualified psychotherapist. Psychotherapy is more popular in some countries than others, but it is widely considered to be an essential part of mental health treatment plans and is used to help patients suffering from all kinds of mental health problems, including stress, emotional problems, and more serious psychiatric disorders.

What is psychotherapy and where does it originate from?

Modern psychotherapy owes a great deal to the work of Freud, Jung, and many others who developed the field of humanist psychology and psychoanalysis in the early twentieth century. They soon realised that structured talking helped patients to confront repressed emotions and explore their conscious thoughts more deeply, and by the 1960s, this had developed into the person centred form of psychotherapy we are familiar with today.

Psychotherapy involves talking about all kinds of things, from emotions, feelings, innermost thoughts and even childhood memories, but it is a lot more than a random chat with a complete stranger. Although the main focus of psychotherapy is talking about issues and problems, a psychotherapist is trained to help patients explore their thoughts, feelings and emotions in a highly structured manner to avoid undue psychological distress.

What is psychotherapy and what happens during a psychotherapy session?

Psychotherapy sessions can take a number of different formats: some sessions are one-to-one, but others are designed for couples, families, or larger groups, depending on the nature of the issues being treated. Some people only need a few sessions of psychotherapy to help them find better ways of coping with their problems, but others choose to visit a psychotherapist on a regular basis for months or even years.

No two psychotherapy sessions will be the same as all patients are unique and a psychotherapist is trained to tailor their therapy to suit the individual client, but you will be encouraged to talk about your problems and explore your emotions and feelings in order to help you gain a greater understanding about how and why you are behaving or reacting in certain ways.

Can psychotherapy cure all mental health problems?

Psychotherapy is not a magic cure, but it can be highly beneficial in the treatment of a number of mental health problems. It is very often used in conjunction with medications and can help the patient find different ways of thinking or behaving when faced with stressful situations.

What is psychotherapy and how does it differ from counseling?

There is a big crossover between psychotherapy and counselling, but in general, a psychotherapist is trained to deal with a much wider range of psychological disorders and mental health problems. They have spent longer training and are normally qualified to a higher level, which means they are able to offer a more in-depth treatment service for their clients.

Counselling is useful for minor emotional and psychological problems where a person is generally well, but is simply trying to cope with a few short term issues. Psychotherapy is more suitable for patients who are suffering from the effects of serious mental health disorders that have built up over a period of many years.